Resident Evil: Fallen Paradise
by Lonewolf06
Summary: Caleb Hawkins, a boy who happens to be a survivor of the Raccoon City incident and was abducted by Umbrella Corp, was rescued by agent Ada Wong then meets up Alice and the gang. What will his fate be? Took place during and after RE: Apocalypse
1. School Survival

Chapter 1

School Survival

The wind blew through the window and felt a chill climb up his spine as he looks to the boring lesson of his teacher. His eyelids are dropping little by little on his deep blue eyes. He was slowly being drawn into a sleep until his eyes were completely shut as his head is lowering to the desk in front of him. He was slowly taken to dreamland and feeling light headed little by little. He would be taken then to a world as his adventurous mind would guide him to the abyss of endless possibilities. He would often dream on something that would reflect on whatever he had watched on TV. As he was about to shoot the zombie in his dream…

"Caleb!"

He was instantly awake as his teacher scolded him. He cannot hear very well as he was groggy from his sleep, thus he cannot understand whatever his teacher was saying. As he looks upon the death glare Mr. Hawkins have set on him with his dark brown eyes, he noticed that everyone in his classroom was looking at him as he was at the center of the classroom (not a good place to sleep). His case of stage fright had kicked in and his was pounding hard because of the embarrassment Mr. Hawkins was giving him.

Things then soon settled down and Mr. Hawkins proceeded back to his boring lesson. Caleb was trying to find a way to kept himself from being asleep. He gazed outside and was soon daydreaming of the horror movie he just recently watched last night.

Meanwhile at the school gates, a guard noticed something that was heading it's was up to him. It was rather moving in a slow pace and as it made its way through intense heat of the sun, the guard could clearly see what it is. It was a man with a bloody shirt and his eyes were white. A foul smell can also be smelled as it was getting closer and closer. The guard then become a bit suspicious and thought it was some sort of sick joke. The creature was getting nearer and nearer as the guard stand up and said "May I help you sir?" But there was pure silence except for its slow footsteps. The guard was starting to lose his temper and gave the creature a 'get the hell out of this place' look but no other response were done except for its continuous movement towards its would-be food. As the creature was near enough, it grabbed the guard's forearm and bit it. The guard shrieked in pain and pushes his attacker but it still came walking towards him. He then took out his Magnum Revolver out of its holster which was strapped onto his right leg. He aimed at one of its legs and shot it. The creature stumbled down in front of his feet. It grabbed one and took another bite on the guard. The guard shrieked in pain once more and kicks the hands of the creature and aimed at shot at its head without any hesitation. Brain chunks fell out of the creature head and blood was all over. The guard fell down and was breathing heavily.

Caleb was snapped back to reality as his short dark brown hair touched and made a tingly feeling on his right ear. He looked at the clock just above the black board in front of him which states 2: 54 PM and then to the teacher. He gave Caleb another mean look. But the kid gazed upon the blackboard and noticed that there were more notes on it. He took out one of his notebook and his pen and began writing down his notes. A few more minutes and

BANG!!!

Everyone couldn't have mistaken that it was a gunshot. A few more seconds and there was another gunshot that can be heard. Caleb heard the footsteps of teachers coming out of the faculty just a few rooms across the hallway. Everyone in class was now fully awake. Some look worried, some turning all pale, some looked frustrated but some rather looked curious like Caleb does. To Caleb, he would have known it is a gunshot from a Magnum Revolver because he has experience with guns due to the fact that his uncle owns a shooting range although he would only be allowed to use air soft. Every-one was confused on what is happening and the bell rang.

Their next teacher, Ms. Johnson was standing outside waiting for Mr. Hawkins to leave his class. As soon as he walked out of the classroom, they had 5 minute talk to let Mr. Hawkins know the situation. The classroom was in deep silence where some are trying to hear what the two teachers are talking about outside the classroom. Mr. Hawkins told Ms. Johnson that he is going to visit his 'friend' in the clinic. Ms. Johnson then came in the classroom and greeted the class.

It's almost 4pm (dismissal) and he had a sudden urge to go to a comfort room. He had his permission from Ms. Johnson and left the classroom. He was walking down the hallway to the comfort room and he saw most of the classrooms and seem that most are having a group work but ignored it. He doesn't want to look at them directly because someone might notice and look at him and the others would automatically do so. He really has a case of stage fright and doesn't want to catch too match attention. But actually, most of the pupils have become undead and had Caleb mistaken but they were rather feasting on a body than doing group works.

Caleb entered the comfort room and did his business slowly but surely. He then went in front of the sink and started to wash his hands. Then screams outside were heard. It caught his attention, and started to wipe his hands with his handkerchief. He walked toward the door and stopped before it. He opened the door slowly and was surprised to what he just saw. Undead pupils were along the hallways with their dreadful appearance and come along with its foul stench. A knot was formed in his stomach and was like he was going to threw up from he just saw. He locked the door and decided to stay there a few more minutes.

He was uneasy inside the comfort room and he was walking back and forth. He was thinking all the possibilities that could happen and started to make out small plans. He was thinking on how he is going to survive, but fear also engulfed him. He stopped in front of the mirror in the comfort room to calm himself. He looked to himself in front of the mirror and look at the features he have. He had deep blue eyes and short dark brown hair. He was about 4 feet and 9 inches tall and has a light tone skin. He was now in 7th Grade this year. "I'm 12 yrs. old now," he thought to himself. Even though his body wasn't all that big and strong, he has a big advantage when it comes to fire arms. He started playing air soft with his Uncle, who lives just outside Raccoon City, at the age of 6. He got many experience and seemed like a pro. And he thought to himself that he should get himself a fire arm soon.

About fifteen minutes have passed and he decided to make his move. He unlocked the door as quietly as he can and upon hearing the click of a metallic sounds, he slowly opened the door and tried to peek outside and see the coast is clear. He then remembered that his classmate brought a baseball bat for his suppose to be practice with the baseball varsity. It could be a good temporary weapon for him. He sneaked out and head towards his classroom and minimizing his noise. When he got inside, no one was there, and got his stolen baseball bat.

When he got out, he saw a reanimated Mr. Hawkins walking towards him. He had a devilish grin on his face. He hit his undead teacher on its right thigh and it fell to its knees. Caleb did a quick 360 degree turn a hit a full base ball on his former teacher's head. It was strong enough to remove its head from its body and head hit the hallway wall. It has a satisfying crunch on Caleb's ears and said "That's payback for a while ago." Blood was scattered on the wall and began dripping down, the foul odor was still around.

He inspected the hallway and took a gaze on the bloody clock which states 5:26. The heat outside was beginning to cool off as the sun shines on the far west. As he was nearing the exit to the school, something was there on all fours. It was a K-9 unit that was already infected by the T-Virus. In its jaw was a ripped out bloody hand. Caleb caught himself dumbfounded at the dreadful scenery. The K-9 caught the scent of Caleb fresh meat as he was moving backwards, trying to keep out of the sight of this hideous creature. But the creature's sense of smell showed its worth. It looked towards Caleb's direction and its jaw dropped the bloody hand it was chewing. It was walking towards his direction, and started running. Caleb automatically ran too, he will not be able to keep up the speed of his attacker because of his small body. He opened a storage room at slammed the door at his back. The creature slammed at the door but it was only a futile act. But another noise was coming from the inside of the room. He flicked the switch on and readies his bat. But only a boy and girl were inside and were cuddled up in the corner of the room. There was another ram on the door. Caleb was calmer now that there are no enemies inside the room. After about 5 minutes of ramming, it stopped; they could clearly hear that the creature was already gone.

"Who are you?" the blond-haired boy spoke first.

"I'm Caleb. I'm from the 7th Grade." Caleb replied "and you?"

"I'm Skyler and this is Angie" he points out to the young girl appearing to be a 10 year old. "I'm sorry if we startled you at first."

"It's ok. How did you end up being here?" Caleb asked "You know my case."

"Ever since those things are popping out of nowhere, we met up and hid here for hours. We kind of felt asleep so we were not able to lock the door and then you showed up." the boy tried to explain.

"I think we'll make this room a 'safe house' for the meantime." Caleb began "For the meantime, we'll rest here until morning so we can see well."

The three of them slept in sitting position because of the room's small space, except for Angie which seems to have fit perfectly.

From the distance of the school, echo of gunshots can be heard from the dark alleys of Raccoon City.


	2. Search

Chapter 2

Search

Caleb was snapped out from dreamland from a sudden hit on his right shoulder. He was still groggy from his uneventful sleep and look on his surroundings but darkness surrounds them. He was still holding his stolen baseball bat and tried to reach and flicked the lights on. The lights were turned on and he gazed at the person beside him. It was Skyler who was still asleep and didn't seem to react. Based on the temperature, the sun has not yet risen from the horizon. But he noticed something else, Angie was now gone and the door was unlocked but not open. She must have sneaked out while the other two was still asleep.

"Skyler! Skyler! Skyler!" he was shaking the other boy by his shoulder but only got a groggy response from the younger boy. A few more seconds of shaking and he was fully awake. He could now see the other boy's olive green eyes.

"What?!" Skyler responded and was still cranky from his disturbed sleep.

"Angie is gone!" Caleb explained. "She must have gone outside while we were asleep.

"What should we do then?" the blond-haired boy asks.

Caleb was plunged into deep thinking. He hasn't had much leadership talents but he could at least form a small group of survivors. Then something popped inside his mind.

"Skyler, go outside and find Angie, and when you do, come back here. I'm going to go outside and seek help from the remains of this city." Caleb explained. He stretched out his hand and grabbed a nearby mop. He faced Skyler and gave it to him. "You could at least have a weapon right?" and gave a small chuckle.

Skyler grabbed the mop. "Ok but how do you expect me to find her then?" he asked.

"Just don't make much noise so those things won't come running after you. I'm going to go to the guards' lounge, to find some firearm and call help from outside." Caleb answered back. "Let's just hope our luck won't run out just yet."

"Yeah"

"Now, on the count of three." he reached down on the door knob and grabbed it

"1, 2," both of them had gulped.

"3!"

Caleb turned the door know and opened the door. The coast is clear and there were no nightmarish creatures were around. The both started to step out of the cramped storage room and weapons at the ready. Their hearts were pounding their chests and into their head. They were scared from whatever is beyond the dark shadows of their school.

"Looks like we split here"

"Yeah." Skyler said and had a gulp from the fear that was now engulfing him.

The two boys split at the hallway and took their tasks to their heads. Skyler didn't complain to his given tasks because he knows that his was much easier than Caleb's task. He continued down the hallway as he stares the bloodstained walls in fright.

Caleb on the other hand was nearing the guards lounge. As he approaches the door he grabs the door knob and began to turn it. There was light coming from the door. Weapon at the ready, he finally opened the door and ready for another baseball swing. But he only found a creature that had no head, lying on the floor. There were bloodstains on the wall and a pool of blood on the floor. Of course, the foul stench comes with it. The now rotting dead was in front of him. He was now approaching a nearby drawer and luckily there was a 9mm Berretta and a few clips. He counted the bullets inside the clips. There were only 18 bullets per clip. But there was no proper holster to be found, but something caught his attention. There was an empty gun holster still strapped to the dead body near him. He approached the dead body and got his holster and strapped it to his right thigh. But the stench was somehow stuck on the holster but he has to bear with it for he had no choice. There was a nearby small body bag so he got it just in case he could bring something else into use. He opened another drawer and found a combat knife along with a knife holster. He grabbed it and strapped it to his left thigh. But he heard a something else from his back.

It was the reanimated body of his best friend, Cole. His dark brown eyes can no longer be seen and was replaced by the white eyes that laid interest on his own fresh meat. He was moving slowly towards Caleb slowly. The boy took out his gun and aim at his friend's head. But he can't stand killing his own best friend. The creature got nearer and nearer by the second until it was a meter in front of him. He shut his eyes closed and pulled the trigger of the gun. The bullet pierced through the neck of the creature and the head fell down. The body fell too beside the dead guard's body.

Caleb fell back and tears were now running down his cheeks. His best friend was now dead he thinks he is the one who killed him. He doesn't know who to be blamed. He still wasn't exposed to the scandal of the Umbrella Corporation. He sat there crying and mourning for his friend who was now gone forever.

A few miles away, the UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Counter-measuring Service) has now arrived.

Caleb slowly opened his eyes slowly but there are nothing there except for him and the two dead bodies in front of him that was now giving him a dose of foul smell. He stood up and was quite groggy. "I must have fallen asleep for 5 minutes." he thought to himself. He noticed there was a flashlight on the floor near the drawer where he took the knife. He knelt down on one knee and grabbed it and put it inside 'his' small body bag. He stood up again and is now walking towards the door.

He readies and aims his weapon with his two hands like an experience marine would do. He was half crouched and walk slowly, prepared for any attack from the creatures that plagued their city. He made his way out of the school which was really uneventful except for the wreaking foul smell of the dead. He was still well cautious to his surroundings as he got out of the school. There was a closed pharmacy across the street and decided to have a 'visit' there.

As he approached the pharmacy across the street he noticed that its glasses have been broken down. It made him more suspicious and he gripped his raised gun more tightly. His heart was pounding hard once more as he grew close to the store. He could smell the foul aroma of death nearing.

As he entered the store, all the stalls were now empty and seem that everything was stolen for their own supply purposes. He strolled along the stalls and heard something. He grabbed the flashlight from the inside of his body bag with his left hand. He crossed it with his right making sort of a number four with his arms. He was still in a half-crouched position and flicked the switch of his flashlight. A creature was now standing before him but facing backwards. it noticed the light and started facing Caleb's direction slowly. Caleb aimed slowly at it's head. He noticed that it was an employee of the pharmacy and had a bloody shirt with a name tag that states 'Kevin.'

"Sorry Kevin." Caleb muttered and pulled the trigger. The head exploded and chunks of brain splattered around its body. It fell to the floor lying on its stomach, lifeless.

Caleb moved on and got behind the counter. He didn't find any of those creatures but even the medicines inside the counter ran out too. He opened the drawers except one that was locked. Nothing can be found so he tried to open it with his combat knife. It opened and got the things inside. It was a pair of healing sprays and 2 vials containing crushed green herbs. He knows well that these items would be handy especially for survival. He was right to watch horror movies and it really readied him for a situation like this.

He got out the store and heard another noise. His stomach growled and noticed he hasn't eaten any snack for the past few hours. His eyes were fixed upon a convenience store nearby.

From the far distance, a 7 – foot creature was marching down the street.

"Sstaaaaarrrssss!!!" It roared.


	3. Reconnaissance

Chapter 3

Reconnaissance

Step by step Caleb was getting nearer the convenience store. He thought he might find something useful there, besides, he can't move on with an empty stomach. He was walking on the sidewalk and tried to keep himself near a wall as possible, so enemies would only come in three possible directions. Although he sees some of those creatures on the street, he was ignoring them for it was wise to avoid being noticed

As he passes through the dark sidewalks of Raccoon City's streets, he noticed a dark alley. His heart began pounding his chest once again as his instincts was telling him that there is something there. He was still in half-crouched position it seems that he was getting used to it. As he was getting nearer and nearer the alley, noises were heard from it. His grip on the gun was tight again. The sounds indicate some fleshy sound which disgusts his over active imagination. Darkness was now in front of him as he aims his gun through it. With a flick of his flashlight, light shone down on a disturbing scenery.

Three of the nightmarish creatures were feasting a dead body. Caleb's eyes widen as he sees this. He held his grip tight at aimed at the forehead at one of his would-be attackers. But the light rather attracted the three's attention.

They stood up and face Caleb as he is readying himself to pull the trigger of his gun. Two shots were released as two heads exploded. Brain chunks were dripping out of their heads. As the other one is making its way to its food, Caleb popped an idea in his mind. He aimed at one of the knee caps of his attacker and shot. The creature fell to one of its knee and Caleb did a full round house kick on its head and crashed on the wall. It had a satisfying crunch on his ears and smiled. "I really want to try that again," he muttered. He noticed that on of the creatures was still moving and started crawling towards him. He walked near it and crushed its head with his own foot. "That's a bit gross!" he exclaimed. He flicked the flashlight off and looked towards the convenience store that was less than a hundred meters from the distance.

The UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Counter-measuring Service) was now on the streets, fending off the blood-thirsty creatures that kept moving forward in limitless numbers. Their ammunition was now slowly being depleted as bullets rain down.

Meanwhile ate the school, Skyler was strolling down the hallway as he kept his mop at the ready. As he turned to the next hallway he saw a girl standing there, alone. She was facing backwards so he couldn't see added by the darkness that made his heart pounding out of its rib cage.

"Angie!" Skyler calls out.

But there was silence.

"Angie!' Skyler tried once again.

But the girl before him didn't respond at all. Skyler was starting to lose his temper and started walking towards the girl. He stretched out his hand and put it on her shoulder. The girl started to face towards him show its horrible image and grabbed the stretched out hand of Skyler. First, it wasn't Angie and Skyler noticed that it was one of 'them.' He tried to pull his hand and ready to hit the undead but it was now too late as he was bitten by the blood-thirsty creation of Umbrella. Skyler shrieked in pain that was given to him. He tried to pull his hand once again and was successful. He hit it with the mop he was holding and its head crashed on the wall. The boy was now breathing hard, and was sweating hard. Then he noticed that more of 'them' were appearing and going outside the classrooms and heading towards him. He tried to hit some by the head and end up crashing their heads on the wall. But he fell down when some slimy object pulled his legs. When he looked at it, it was a long tongue that began whipping him. The undead children moved away and he got a look at the end of its long tongue.

It was something very large and had a reddish hue. Its brain was 'exposed' and has long claws. Its muscles are fully exposed and had an inhuman size. Skyler started crying as he looked at the nasty creature approaching him by jumps. Its long tongue release his feet and when it was close enough, he used the mop as a spear and pierce the left lobe of the creature. The creature shriek in pain and used its tongue as a spear to pierce through the boy's chest. The blond-haired boy closed his eyes as he died. The creature began eating the child and proceeded to a mutation. It was exposed to fresh meat so their muscles tissues were now growing larger and larger. The creature ran into the hallway until it had made its way to the exit. It was now free from the school grounds and found another smell.

Caleb stood in front of the store's door. The glasses were broken and it was quite dark inside. He raised his gone and aimed the darkness that was now in front of him again. He slowly entered the store and passed the counter then through the aisle. He grabbed some snacks on the stalls and puts it inside his body bag. He sat down and started eating to lessen his hunger. Then he heard something. He threw away whatever he is eating, stood up and raised is gone once more. He hears the sound probably 2 aisles away. He reached the end of the aisle and checked if there is any enemy close but nothing is to be found except for leftover foods on stalls. He turned to the right and flicked his flashlight off. He moves on forward and sneaked towards the aisle where he could've heard the sound. As he turned to the aisle, he aimed his gun and he flicked on his lights. It was still the creature that had attacked him for the past hours. It stood as it noticed the light from Caleb's flashlight. It groaned and swayed its way to Caleb but he aimed it at its head and pulled the trigger. The head exploded and the gunshot echoed throughout the whole convenience store. More noises can now be heard from the outside. Caleb thought it was a wrong move to shot 'it.'

But he lost his thought when he heard metallic sounds coming from the storage room. He had a deep breath and as the metallic sounds grew louder, he slowly walks away from sight. He hid in a corner where he could clearly see whatever will come out.

The door finally opened and shown something that he could clearly say that it will be his predator. It was standing and a long tongue was coming out from its mouth. Its skin has a reddish hue and its posture resembles that of a human. Its forehead is quite big and had long nails. Small spiky objects are coming out from its forearm. It still wore some torn of clothes and could clearly state that it was a woman because of the breasts and long blond hair (It was actually called a Regis' licker). Caleb slowly aimed at the menacing creature that stands in his sight. His heart was like ripping out his rib cage and could feel the pressure of the pumping in his head's temples. He was about to pull the trigger when something else broke the silence.

The glasses of the store were shattered and he could here 'them' coming his direction. He looked back if there is an enemy present in the same aisle he was hiding but there was none. When he resumed looking at the creature, it was now gone from where it stood a few seconds ago. He dropped to one of his knees to keep a low profile. He slowly closed his eyes as he relied on his sense of hearing. He could clearly here the groaning from the outside and faint metallic sounds.

He looked upward the spot where the reddish colored creature has gone, and was able to find what he is searching for. It was hanging upside down on its feet that acted more like hands now. It shot at glare at Caleb and he knew it spotted him.

Running outside isn't a wise decision as more of 'them' were coming in the store. He ran towards the storage room as the creature above send its tongue like a whip on Caleb but was only futile because Caleb rolled on the floor and ran inside the storage room. As the licker jumped down and got inside, it was bombarded by the bullets that were remaining inside the berretta Caleb was holding. The last bullet hits one of its knee caps and drop to one of its knees.

Caleb released the used up clip to the floor and slammed another one in from the inside of his tight pocket. As the creature shrieked in pain, Caleb had its chance to hide behind one of the boxes.

The creature mutated further and had its wounds healed. The muscles were much larger now. It relied on its sense of smell and found its prey that was hiding. It sent its long tongue like a spear and pierced through the box. The other side was an inch away from his face. He ran towards the end of the aisle of boxes. He finally found the door upon seeing it. As the creature found itself dumbfounded, it ran towards its prey with grey haste.

As he was nearing his only ticket out, he saw a set of gas tanks near the door. The creature was now on ceiling above its prey and drops a few meters before him. It sent its tongue like a whip but missed as Caleb strafed to his right.

He quickly gets his knife out of its holster and stabs the long tongue on the door way thus pinning it. He then grabs hold of the tank and rolls it on the floor. He got outside and ran as far as he could. He turned back and shot at the tank causing it to explode. It was followed by a few more explosions as more tanks exploded.

"Whew!! That was really close." he said to himself "Oh! Look at this."

He moved forward at a truck and beside it was a corpse of a man. Beside it was a shotgun and seems like from the Remington series because of its light brown color. He grabbed it and continued to walk to the back alley. He then put his Berretta in its holster.

He could see the end of the alley and the way outside but some pounding noise stopped him from his track. He was getting nervous by the second as more pounding were heard from the distance. It was growing closer to him. He had all to get out of the place but he just stood still at the end of the alley as he was facing the street and the sidewalk.

The pounding stop and marching replaced the sound. It was growing closer and closer but he didn't move as his instincts were telling him to. To his surprise, a 7-foot tall creature appeared before him with a rail gun and a rocket launcher mounted on it. It turned its head and looked down on the boy beside him.

"Sstaaaarrrsss!!" the creature growled.


	4. Escape

Chapter 4

Escape

The 7-foot monster was now in front of him, gazed by its deep blue eye. It's missing the right eye and seems that it was 'stapled.' Its body was covered by a thick black cloak. Its teeth and monstrous gums were exposed. It has tentacles that were present by its shoulders. Caleb was now walking backwards as the monstrous figure stares at him. It turned and faced Caleb who was now in states of shock. His heart was like ravaging in his chest and feels as if he is going to break apart. He dropped the shotgun on the floor and fell to his knees. He shut his eyes and was prepared for the final blow.

The creature returned back to its previous position and continued marching down the street. "Sstaaarrrsss!!" It roared in the distance.

Caleb began to open his eyes as the creature proceeded back on going to the direction of 2 tall buildings. He gulped down and picked up his shotgun and looked at a creature on all fours with a long tongue as it approaches the 7-foot creature.

"Sir, the N-2 Missile is ready." a man said as he bows to his master in front of him.

"Good. We should nuke it to 'cleanse' this corporation's evidences. I'm quite sure someone would stand up and we should eradicate all evidence. I hope that the Nemesis Program have done its mission to eradicate all those S.T.A.R.S. members. They are quite a thorn to our side."

"We will now proceed to the plan."

"Very well."

The man exited his master's room.

Caleb hid in the shadows as the 'thing' was now near its prey. The tall monstrosity turned to its would-be attacker and dropped its guns. The licker used its tongue and tried to incapacitate its prey but was only futile. Nemesis on the other hand dodged and grabs its tongue and pull towards itself. As its attacker was less than a meter, it grabbed the right arm with its own left arm gave a strong punch straight to the face with its right and it flew backwards. But it was back on all fours in a matter of seconds. It tried jumping towards Nemesis this time but was useless as it grabbed by the head and gave a series of jabs and another straight punch. The licker fell on its back gave out a low groan. The Nemesis approached the licker and grabbed it by its one of its leg. It raised it up and slammed it on the ground. Caleb was at the distance, watching the two monstrosities clash. Nemesis grabbed the licker at the back of its head and was crushing its exposed lobes little by little. The other hand grabbed the neck and started strangling it. The licker showed its long tongue and tried to whip its enemy. But Nemesis grabbed the tongue, gave it a tight squeeze and finally ripping it from the body. The mutant gave out a loud scream of pain as it was given another series of jabs. Nemesis grabbed its shoulder and ripped the licker apart in two pieces. The licker gave another loud scream of pain. Its body was starting mutate and regenerate as it was growing another half. But it was only ended as its large opponent stepped and crushed its head.

Blood was now at the feet of Nemesis. It turns back to the direction where it left its arsenal. It was now at its feet and picked it up. It marched down again with a heavy foot as it strolls down to the direction where the two tall buildings are.

Caleb was shocked and did not move a muscle at what he just saw before him. He was only snapped back to reality when sounds can be heard from his back. He quickly turns around, dropped the shotgun, and grabbed the light from the bag and the gun from its holster. He flicked the lights on two his attacker and it was the reanimated body of the dead man from the back alley. He slowly aimed at its head. "You must have survived longer." Caleb said as he pulled the trigger. The body fell in front of him as another sound was heard.

It was a black Revo and two men in black with guns come out. Caleb flicked the lights off and hid. It seems that the two were checking the explosion from the Convenience Store. As soon as they were out of sight, Caleb ran towards the back of the Revo and there was an Umbrella logo at the back window. He opened the back door and it was left open.

"Quick, we should get the hell out of here. The nuking will be done after a few more minutes."

"Nuking?!" Caleb thought to himself.

The voices was now getting near so he opened the back door and got it for it was the only way out of the damned city. As soon as the door closed, the two men were now in view beyond the heavily tinted windows of the black Revo.

The two men got in and started the engine. Caleb hid at the back and crouched to prevent from being seen. He felt that they were already on the move.

"Look's like they did deploy the Nemesis Program." one of the man began talking.

"Nemesis Program?" Caleb thought to himself. He was getting more curious but also suspicious. He looked at the window as he noticed they passed at Nemesis. Caleb and the monster had an eye-to-eye contact with each other and boy was startled, but it didn't react at all.

"Why do you think would they deploy the damn thing if this placed will end up being nuked?"

"Well, it seems that S.T.A.R.S. members were inside the city and the Umbrella Corporation is doing everything to kill them all."

"Yeah, they are a pain in the ass as the higher-ups say."

"I overheard that there members dead. 13 were killed in a part of a city."

"I also overheard sightings of this so called Jill Valentine? I heard she is also a S.T.A.R.S. member."

"How did they make that thing anyway?"

Caleb could see that they are already at the bridge, one of the only exits out of the city. He was finally relieved that he will not be caught up in the explosion as they are already out. The gate was then opened by some of the guards and they were through. He noticed that the last sets of guards were getting ready to leave also.

"Well he was the former Matt Addison. He was infected by a licker during the outbreak at the Hive. So the Corporation took him and experimented on him and that was the outcome."

"I see."

The two kept doing their chatting while Caleb was looking out the window and being bored. It kept for minutes and he knew that they were a few kilometers away from Raccoon City.

Caleb noticed that they took a stop as they were in a checkpoint. They opened the driver's window and they were muttering something. Caleb was waiting for them to get through and they did. As they passed through the checkpoint, he peeked out his head a little. The guard noticed something from the back so he took out his whistle and blew it. The Revo stopped and Caleb knew someone the guard saw him. His heart was pounding again and thought that he would be killed.

The guard on duty went beside the driver's door as the windows open. He asked if he could search the back of the vehicle because 'something' was there and he would like to take a look at it. Caleb's chest was now pounding along with the veins in his temples as he was done for. The three got down the vehicle and went to the back and opened it.

"Look's like we have a brat here." The guard said as he shot a look at Caleb.

"I think we should call the boss since they were kidnapping children around the world and had experiments on them."

Caleb thought were racing in his head wondering what will happen to him as one of the three grabbed him and began tying his hands. He tried to resist but was futile because of his small body. "Let me go!" he shouted. The other was still dialing his cellular phone and placed it at his ear.

[Sir, this is agent Thompson, we have a bit of a situation now.]

[What is it now?]

[A kid was found hiding inside one of our vehicles, what should we do with him?]

[I don't know, dispose of him? What age is he exactly?]

[Well, sir, he seems to be young, I'm sure he's no older than 13 yrs. old.]

[Bring him to one of our facilities. At that age, the brain secretes a special hormone called _Beta Hetero Nonserotonin _and it is quite…essential in our production of our precious Tyrants. He will be quite handy, you don't know that only one in ten million T-Virus hosts are capable of becoming those monsters do you?]

[No sir]

[I see. Now go tie him up and escort our guest to one of our facilities]

[Understood. Over and out]


	5. Consequences

Chapter 5

Consequences

Caleb was quite disturbed and suspicious on Umbrella's motives as it was slowly being revealed to him. He was hearing things from his captors that he can't understand. The man tied him up securely and he still put at the back of the vehicle. The vehicles started to move to its new location.

"Why is the Umbrella doing these things? Tyrants? Beta Hetero Nonsetonin? T-Virus? Nemesis Program?" He thought to himself. He felt defeated from what he is experiencing. He thought to himself if he would be like the Nemesis Program they kept talking about. He was plunged into deep thoughts as new roads open before him. Everyone knew that the Umbrella Corporation is something they looked up at. He knows that nine out of ten houses contain Umbrella Products. But now he was exposed that this Corporation was corrupt.

Then from out the window, he noticed a jet going to the Raccoon City's direction. In a matter of seconds, a bright light was shown and a huge explosion emerged. Tears escaped from Caleb's blood-shot eyes as he couldn't hold it back anymore. His birthplace and where he grew up was now eradicated from the face of the Earth. Everything he had was now gone and his family and friends there were surely dead. He even wondered if Skyler and Angie survived. His crying left him there and fell asleep from all his mourning. He was still hearing the chatting of the men in black but was not fading away.

"Call the facility and say we are heading there."

"It's still too early."

"Come on. We have a special guest here plus we'll be there in less than thirty minutes."

"Ok fine, you win."

The man took at his cellular phone once again and began dialing.

[Hello, who is this?]

[It's Agent Thompson. We are heading to your facility doctor.]

[I see, but I thought that you were ordered to go to the other facility across that state?]

[No, we were given new orders by the boss.]

[And what could that be?]

[We found a kid and we are going to go and deliver it under your commands.]

[I see, he is after the special hormone. He would like to form another Tyrant but I would propose something else to him.]

[What is it, doctor?]

[We had prepared a new procedure for that boy. We are trying to make the perfect Bio Organic Weapon and I will make a new series and I would like to test it on a subject especially in prepubescent stages.]

[I see.]

[Deliver him here as soon as possible. I would ready the equipments needed for this procedure."

[Understood.]

Caleb was awoken when the vehicle stop and he was aware that they are already in the facility. The two men in black got down the vehicle and walk towards the back door. One opened the door and noticed that their helpless guest was now awake.

"We're here."

Caleb shot him a look but was futile as one of them grabbed his arms. He was taken out of the car as he looked up to a hospital as he got more suspicious to his surroundings. He tried to scream for help but one of his captors covers his mouth and begal tying a handkerchief. They finally arrived at the back door and one of the men got in first.

"The coast is clear."

"Good, now call the doctor."

"Doctor?" he thought to himself.

On of the men began dialing his cellular phone once again.

[We are here doctor.]

[Good, but where exactly?]

[We are by the south backdoor entrance.]

[I'll be there.]

The door opened and Caleb looked at the person. It was man, probably in his 40's, with glasses and wore a common uniform of a doctor."

"Take him to the Operating room."

"Understood."

Caleb tried to resist but was still useless because there were two of them holding him now. They got passed the doctor who shot him a stare with his deep dark eyes but the boy looked in another direction and took a gulp. He was getting nervous by the second as they were strolling down the hallways. They finally took a left turn and the entrance to the room was in sight. They got inside of the room and there weren't much to see. He heard a sound of a baby crying and got suspicious but ignored it after a few seconds.

They were now in front of a white colored door with an Umbrella logo on it. It says _Personnel Only_. One of the men took out a card and swiped it on a card reader beside which he now noticed. The door had a 'whooshing' sound and they got it. It was an elevator. The three of them got it and press a button. The boy looked at the commands and noticed it had only 6 floors down. He could feel their descent and the door finally opened. It was a white hallway leading to other many corridors. They took a right turn at the first one and there was a room in front of them. They got inside and one of the men said "This is where you will be held for a meantime." He took out a spray can with an Umbrella logo on it and sprayed the front of his face. It was odorless and soon, he was feeling groggy and finally fell down with a thump.

[It seems that you have a few tricks up your sleeve, doctor.]

[Thank you sir, it's my pleasure for serving the company.]

[Your procedure is quite…fascinating. That kid is the first subject for this project of yours. If this project is a success, we will research more on this intriguing idea of yours. Although, it takes a lot of time, it is possible that it would be a lot stronger than Project Alice. Your project will be the prototype for the next series of this B.O.W. of yours.]

[Thank you sir for recognizing this but it seems that this kind of reaction is quite unpredictable and I've estimated that this case like that of the child is only one in a billion.]

[I see. If ever this project is a success, I assure you that you will be transferred to a more secure facility.]

[Thank you very sir, I would really appreciate that.]

Caleb was now awake as he looked at his surroundings. He was now in a room which was purely white. Then he could feel pain in his body as his body was pierced with IVs. He was now wearing a white shirt and white PJs. He was wearing a red shirt, a black jacket and jeans. He looked at the end of one of the IV drip and there was a bluish fluid and was being injected to his body slowly, drop by drop. And the other IV had a green fluid running through it. He was taken into a deep thinking how he even got there. It seems he couldn't remember what happened but a sting shot through his head. He was having a vision of what happened lately but all he could see is a big explosion. The only thing that he could remember is what he wore before he got there and a vision of a huge explosion. He was getting awkward from what he is seeing. He looked around and noticed that the door was left open and it was the only exit in the room. There were also mirrors located on the walls of the room.

He was about to stand up from his comfy bed when pain was scorching his head again. He was having another vision of his captors as he now remembered that he will be experimented by the Umbrella Corporation. He was now thinking a way of getting out of the place but he also knew that the place is quite guarded. Then he remembered the IVs that pierced his small body. He tried to grab on and started pulling. It made quite a pain for him as he had small groans. He finally made the last pull and one of the IVs was taken off from his body. He groaned a bit in pain but he was surprised by something else what he just saw. After he plucked out one of the IV from his arm, his wound there began closing up. He examined his arm and the wound where the IV was injected was now fully healed. It was a bit strange but he remembered the vision of the men of having him being experimented and thought it might have been the effect of it. For him, it was the most possible reason he could reason out.

"What the hell, I really need to get the hell out of here." he muttered "Okay, I'm staring to talk to myself, it's creeping me out."

He shut his eyes as he pulled another two IV drips that was connected on his temples.

"Ouch! I really have to stop doing that!" he muttered again to himself.

He looked at the end of the IV and there was a bluish color that was dripping from it. He could feel the 'holes' in his temples were slowly closing as he yelped small groans of pain were felt.

There are now only two IV drips that were stuck in his left arm. He shut again his blue eyes as he was readying himself to receive pain again. He pulled it one time and it was finally off. He examined the wounds on his left arm as it was slowly closing until it was now gone.

"That was really cool. It seems that I have…regenerative abilities now. I wonder if I can survive-" he muttered to himself and gave a small frown as he cut his own sentence. "Note to self: I really have to stop talking myself. I might have turning into an insane kid as a side effect." and gave a small chuckle.

He got out of his bed and walked towards the door. He noticed himself in the mirror and noticed his forearm was slightly bigger than before. It is quite complicated for him to understand what was happening for he doesn't know anything about the works of Umbrella Corporation. He continued walking towards the door and peek if it was clear. It was a long white hallway. Pain was searing through his forehead and dropped on his knees as the pain was getting stronger and stronger. He was seeing more visions of his past. He saw when he was taken to the facility, the outbreak at Raccoon City, and some of his childhood memories. A tear escaped from his eye as he was there, writhing in pain. He wiped it off and stood up again as he stretched his hand and held the cold doorway. The coast is clear as there was nothing there but the pure white hallway. He stepped out of the room and walked toward the seemingly endless doorway. He took a right turn on the first corridor he saw. He was walking for minutes and it only seems that he was only waling in circles.

"How the hell do I get out of here?"

Before he could take another step, he heard a sound from his back. It was a sound of a gun cocking. He turned and looked at the person behind him. It was a man holding out a TMP, he noticed that he was one of the men in black in his visions, particularly, his captors.

"Look's like sleeping beauty is now awake." the man said and gave out a small chuckle. "We will not let you escape."

The man tried to grab one of his arms and surprisingly, he was able to have resistance against him unlike before. He tried to run but stopped as the man fired a bullet on the wall. Caleb doesn't want to be shot as he still doesn't know the limits of his regenerative abilities yet. The man smiled and started walking towards him. He stretched out his hands and took out a handcuff. Caleb took a gulped as he was now handcuffed. The man opened the door and pushed Caleb in as he fell on the floor.

"The doctor said I should call him if you ever wake up. It simply means that you are prepared for the phase 2 of this procedure."

Caleb widened his eyes in curiosity as he was there, helpless. He was waiting for minutes when the door finally opened.


	6. Rescue

Chapter 6

Rescue

Caleb gulped as the door swung open as the person who came in was unexpected. In fact, it was a woman in a red dress with black hair and a face which resembles an Asian. Caleb stared at her as she walked in door as they had an eye to eye contact with each other. It seems that she is not tensed a single bit a more like being 'cool.' She walked pass the doorway as she aimed her gun directly to Caleb's head.

"Wh-who are you?" Caleb asked

"Hmm…let's say I'm a spy kiddo." she said in a soft cool voice "and you are?"

"Caleb, I'm a hostage."

"No wonder guards are coming down."

"What are you here for then?"

"You see kid, the Umbrella Corporation had recently acquired a new type of virus and I'm here to infiltrate to get a sample."

"Thank you for being talkative," said the guard that was now behind her, a gun raised and aimed at her back.

The woman turned to face the guard and did a back flip. Her foot kicked the gun out of the man's hand and landed in front of Caleb. She aimed directly at the forehead and pulled the trigger with such ease. The gunshot echoed through the hallways of the underground facility. The guard was now falling backwards but the woman ran to him and grabbed his arm. She threw him to the ground with some kind of judo move. No drops of blood were to be seen outside the hallway. She closed the door and locked it."

"Can't leave evidences now can we?"

"You're really into this are you."

"Yes darling."

She approached the boy and took out a small kit, a lock pick. She lock-picked the boy's handcuffs and in a matter of seconds, he was released.

"Thank you very uhh…uhmm-"

"Ada." the boy was puzzled as she said her name.

She picked the guard's 9mm Berretta and gave it to the boy.

"You'll need this."

"Thanks."

"Now how do we get out of here?"

She looked around and saw a drawer nearby. She approached it and looked quite puzzled.

"Hey darling, who is the person responsible of putting you here?"

"I escaped but one of the guards put me here."

"The guards are quite stupid are they?"

The boy was puzzled as she opened the drawer in a matter of seconds with a lock pick. It has the same 'whooshing' sound like the ones the door he encountered a while ago. She stretched out her hand in the drawer and took out a vial contained bluish liquid.

"Could this be it?" she whispered.

"Hey, can I come with you?"

"You see darling, I have the requirements for my assignment and I just have to get to the checkpoint and receive my paycheck."

She let out a smile and said "If you can keep up that is." She kept the vial in her boots and walked towards the wall. That's when Caleb realized that there was a vent above her. She opened it and crawled in as Caleb followed her. There wasn't much to be seen except for Ada whom he was following. She turned and there was a dead end but she kept going towards it. As soon that they were near the dead end, Caleb noticed that the vent was going upwards. He noticed too, that there were handlebars as if it was a ladder. He climbed up too and soon, there were moving upwards, making progress in their escape, little by little.

It seems like they were going upwards like forever when they finally met the endpoint. It was also like the bottom and they were moving in a horizontal vent again. Soon, they found an exit at the endpoint of the vent they turned to.

They peek in from the vent's window and saw no one. It looked like a hospital room so they jumped down. She approached the door and locked.

"Why did you do that?"

"This." She approached the room's closet and opened it. There were clothes inside the closet. Caleb was dumbfounded at what Ada was trying to say to him. It seems she's so sure at what she is doing she knew what it really is.

"It's quite awkward to see a person in a hospital gown right? So here are the clothes. Go get yourself changed in the comfort room" she stretched out her arm and pointed at white plastic door.

Caleb stared at her for a few more seconds but soon followed her. He approached the closet and looked at the variety of clothes. He took out a black leather jacket and a red cotton shirt. He also took out black jeans and a pair of shoes. Everything seems to fit to him accordingly.

"This was a child's room your age and we could see that honey. Now go change, don't worry, I won't leave you."

"Ok," was all that he could say from his savior.

He walked towards the door and got in. Ada's phone rang so she picked it up.

[Hello.]

[Did you get the sample?]

[Relax, I got it.]

[Good, now go ahead to the checkpoint.]

[Don't worry dear, I'll come]

Then she hung up the phone. Few minutes have passed and Caleb finally opened the door and stepped out.

"There honey, you seemed to look more _normal_."

"Yeah." then they both gave a small chuckle.

But before Caleb could say anything, Ada grabbed her knife from its holster and did a quick swipe on Caleb's face. But Caleb's reflexes kicked in and raised his right arm which got it wounded instead. Caleb groaned in pain as blood was dripping out of his palm.

"Now who are you exactly?"

"What do you mean?" then Caleb looked at his palm as the wound was now closing and the pain was now easing out. "You mean this?"

"Look's like it." her voice was still cool and calm.

"I'm an experiment of Umbrella. I escaped but they were never able to control me because I only undergo the first phase of the procedure. That's why I end up in that place."

"I believe you still have something in your sleeves honey."

Caleb was puzzled by what she said. Then he remembered of the visions of the Raccoon city, being nuked.

"I'm…also a survivor from the Raccoon City outbreak."

"There, you're a good boy." She reached something in her boots and threw Caleb a magazine. "Just in case honey. Now come with me."

Bother of them reached the door, unlocked it and opened it. She peeked out to see anyone but there was none. Both of them stepped out of the room and stared at the map across the corridor of the hospital.

"There's our ticket out."

They walked through the hallways and corridors and the exit that was pointed in the map can now be seen. They walked towards it but noticed that there was a guard on duty there. Even though, they still continued and passed the guard. They expected him to halt them but there was no resistance.

They were now in the parking lot and there was a series of vehicles. She took out her keys and pressed a button. A vehicle that was facing the wall gave out a reaction. The two of them moved towards the vehicle and got inside it. It was a red Pajero, but Caleb couldn't recognize the model because he is not much into cars. They drove out of the hospital and were now in the streets. It was cold and it's a good thing that Caleb picked out a jacket instead of wearing a shirt alone. There was still silence between the two along the way, but the silence broke when Caleb's stomach grumbles. Both of them gave out a small chuckle.

"Sorry honey, but there isn't any food on this vehicle."

Caleb grinned when something else came into view. "Look, a fast-food restaurant!"

The vehicle moved in closer and finally made a stop in front of the building. They both noticed that it was actually McDonalds.

"Leave your gun in the compartment, it will attract attention. Off you go, I'll be back later, I just have to give the sample at the checkpoint." she opened the compartment and took out a wallet, opened it and got fifty bucks. "Here so you could have something to order."

"Thanks Ada." Caleb didn't resist at all from Ada's orders as he now trusts her. The vehicle soon drifted off as he walked towards the restaurant. He pushed the door and smelled the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. He made his way to the counter and ordered some of the food listed in their menu. As the food was getting ready, he noticed that there weren't much people staying inside the restaurant. The tray of meal was now given to him as he drifts off and sits at a nearby table. He looked into his food as he savors his meal and started eating.

Before he could finish his food, Ada's vehicle was now in view and parked in front of the restaurant. She got down the vehicle and started walking towards the door. As soon as she saw Caleb, she approached him directly.

"Hey, want some?" Caleb asked.

"No, I just ate along the way."

"What date is it?"

"It's October 15."

"What?! But the last time I was awake is when Raccoon city was nuked. It was-"

"September 30th when the N-2 was fired off and blasted Raccoon City."

"You mean I have been asleep for weeks?"

"That's the most possible answer we have. It simply means that the new procedure you said was _that_ long. And they are not even sure if it would be effective. Now darling, for your mission."

Caleb's eyes widened by what he just heard from Ada. "Mission?!"


	7. Mission

Chapter 7

Mission

"You're putting me on a mission?!" Caleb said as people were looking on him because of the rise in this voice. But as soon as Caleb saw this, he turned pale.

"Yes darling, you'll work for me for the meantime. I shall reward you with extra money as well."

Caleb was silent as he was puzzled from the idea of the woman in front of him.

"Maybe we should talk on the way. We can't let anyone have evidences against us. We have the 'briefing later on."

Caleb took a last bite and sip on his food. The two marched to the door and into the vehicle. They got in and the vehicle was on the road again, leading to nowhere.

"Why would you do that?"

"Well darling, so that you can fight boredom off. As soon as the T-Virus has started to infect the area, you can't do anything but to survive. This could also be some training and we need more people to turn down the Umbrella Corporation. Besides you might meet Alice and her group, and if you do, you better stay with them. We can always contact each other and rendezvous in some other area." She took out a card and gave it to Caleb. Caleb grabbed it and looked as it states Ada's number.

"What's this T-Virus I kept hearing about?"

"It was a virus developed by Umbrella. It created those 'things' that you saw in Raccoon City. There was an outbreak in their facility under the city. They have been having illegal actions underground."

"But I thought-"

"Umbrella was only using their pharmaceutical name to mask their true motives. But they only kept improving their virus and had experiments and having humans as guinea pigs."

"You mean like me?"

"You could say that. For now, you will work for me and be under my command."

"Fine."

"Looks like you're finally interested honey. You see I am a spy but I also have contacts to get information on my assignment. This is considered to be underground and a crime. During my last assignment, I got information on the location of a new virus on a guy named Greg Williams. But it seems that he had betrayed me and plans to 'sell' my name and give out information on me."

"And it will be my mission to kill him for you?"

"Exactly my dear. You can use any method you want for as long as you kill him. And you did contact me and we will meet in a safe place to claim your price." She took out a small picture and gave it to the boy. Caleb looked at the picture of a man in his 40's. He had a shoulder length gray hair and a beard complete with a moustache. He had brown eyes and a tan skin. He wore glasses and seems to have many wrinkles.

"He sure is old. Where the hell do you think he got his information from?"

"Underground smuggling could be an option. Open the compartment and you'll have your little 'arsenal' to assist you."

Caleb was puzzled he stretched out his hands to the compartment and opened it. There was a small attaché case inside and grabbed it. He opened it and there were weapons inside. An H&K USP with two clips, all containing 18 rounds, was found inside it. A combat knife and a small health spray were also inside. He looked again inside the compartment and there was a gun holster and a knife holster attached to it. It could be worn on his body instead of it being strapped to his legs. He decided he would wear it under his black leather jacket so it would be hidden from sight. He had finally 'dressing' up and looked at the road again.

"There, you looked more normal." Ada complimented in her cool voice.

"Thanks but where _exactly_ are we going anyway?"

"Let see, I have been trying to find him ever since I knew that he was up to something. I tried to contact others that knew him so I can locate his position and erase him permanently. But unfortunately, some says he hid somewhere at South Dakota, some says he's at Las Vegas and some says he's at Phoenix. I'm quite disturb they kept saying places and we don't have enough time to go to these places."

"So what's your guess?"

"I'm guessing he's at Las Vegas, it's the city of Sin anyway. Some says he had smuggled there and gained tons of money there. So I think he'll be there."

The look on Caleb's face wasn't satisfied as he looked the pictured of his target. His head began to throb and in a few more seconds, his was on fire as he roared in pain. It was scorching him and felt as if he's going to die there in pain.

But at the same time, he was having visions of the person in the picture at the cost of the hellish pain. The person was in a dark alley with a person with him and they were talking. He brought out a paper and in moments, the two were fighting. They ran out of the alley and were now chasing on a road which he noticed the E. Observatory Rd. on a sign nearby. They got across the Mt Hollywood Dr. and it came to a stop and his head was still throbbing and pain was still felt. The vehicle was now stopped and on hazard mode while Ada had a disturbed and worried look. He saw another thing and couldn't have mistaken it was the Griffith Observatory.

"He's at…California…Los Angeles…at Hollywood…near…the…Griffith Observatory…they are…at the…intersection of…Mt. Hollywood Dr.…and E. Observatory Rd…he's with…someone." Caleb said between his gasps of pain as he was breathing hard.

"Are you sure darling?"

"Just go…I just…saw him there." With a last gasp, Caleb passed out from the pain he had endured.

"Look's like you have more time to sleep dear." Ada said as she stepped on and the vehicle drifted off and turned to another route.

"Jill, we should head to Los Angeles, I'm having 'dreams' on that place lately." Alice told her because it was her turn to drive.

"Why should we make a detour? I'm pretty sure that virus has already infected the nearby areas of Raccoon City." Carlos butts in.

"That's not what I mean Carlos, it's just there is 'something' in that place that is bound to happen." Alice replies.

"Well the original plan is to go to South Dakota because Chris' sister is staying there for the meantime. And some part of the area has already succumbed to the virus." Jill explained

"And I'm sure she's compiling the survivors." Carlos added

"Not for long and the whole states will be infected. We should go get ourselves some plans ahead to survive." Alice pointed out.

"Yeah and after picking up Jill and the others, we should go at least somewhere in the eastern part of US. We should be safer there for the meantime." Jill replied.

"New York maybe?" Carlos suggested. "I heard LJ is there right now. Make sure we contact him, he said he's going to get something there."

"So Los Angeles it is." Jill finished their conversation up.

Caleb rubbed his eyes as he woke up still inside the vehicle.

"Looks like you're awake. You've been asleep for a whole day it's already sunset." Ada said as Caleb yawned. "Looks like you're right. Police in the area have started to investigate. Someone was killed there as far as I know. I'm sure Greg was here."

"Maybe, but I'm sure he had drifted off somewhere else."

"That's what you think." She pointed out to a man across the street. He wore a black coat with a hat. He was also wearing shades and was smoking. The boy looked at him carefully and knew it was Greg for sure. "I'm thankful he wasn't there while I have to leave you here and buy myself something to eat. I'm sure he left something there but he couldn't find it. He's been there for hours and kept walking back and forth on this street. Your mission starts here darling. Good luck. I hope you meet up with Alice soon."

Caleb smiled and stepped out of the vehicle as he looked 'normal.' No one would have mistaken him as an assassin. He crossed the street as he noticed some police cars driving off to investigate the crime scene. He's quite sure that he killed the one he's with last night. He looked at Greg who was now a few meters away from him so he moved and followed him. After a few minutes of following, Greg turned back and head where he had been. They had an eye-to-eye contact. He had a mean look on his face and had felt a little fear from that. He hid behind a nearby tree to cover the fact he's following Greg. His eyes were still locked on him as he was walking away. As soon he was away, he stepped out of the candy shop and walked towards him. They are now at Aberdeen Avenue as he took a left turn to N. Vermont Ave. He looked back but Caleb was trying to keep his cool as his target shot him a fierce look. Greg looked straight forward again but his walking got a little bit faster. Caleb has no choice but to walk faster too. The person looked at him again as he was puzzled why the boy is after him. So he ran for it but the boy ran also. They were running down the down the road as they were nearing Los Feliz Blvd. It's a good thing the cars stopped before hey could have been hit. He was still running after his target as he tried to reach under his jacket for his gun. They crossed Ambrose Avenue but as soon as he walked on the road, something hit him and he was thrown to the ground. For him, he recovered easily from the hit from an unknown vehicle. He looked to his target as his head was beginning to feel pain. His head was being ripped apart from the pain as his eyes were locked on Greg who stopped to look back at him. The pain finally reached its peak and in a split second, Greg was on fire and was rolling on the ground. Other people looked at him and started going near him for assistance. But in a few seconds, his movement stopped and was there, lying, dead but was still on fire.

"You are just a bullshit aren't you?" a woman in blue jacket said as she stepped out of her car. Caleb couldn't hear her as he was exhausted from what had just happened. He fell to the ground with a thump and passed out.

"Now what are we going to do with him, Carlos."

"I'll say we take him back to the Boulevard Motel downtown. Everyone is waiting there anyway. Maybe this is what Alice meant.


	8. Encounter

Chapter 8

Encounter

In a small room, a hologram of a girl appeared before a man wearing a coat.

"Dr. Isaacs, there is a disturbance detected at Los Angeles. Estimated total usage is around 50%." the girl in white announced the word to the man before him.

"Is it…Project Alice?"

"Negative. Its signature is different and somehow 'smaller' to that Project Alice."

"What is the disturbance then?"

"Unknown. The most possible answer we could conclude for is that it's from a failed experiment of the Corporation. It has a higher potential of being stronger than Project Alice."

"Keep a look out on that. Whatever it is, it's a priority to capture it. It shouldn't be wasted if that's the case." the man said as he exited the room.

Caleb was now awake but he didn't open his eyes yet. He still kept them shut as he was trying to feel the hard material under his armpit. But there was none except for the leather holster that 'they' hadn't removed from him. He knew from that instant, they have stripped his only weapons off and he would be defenseless against the people that caught him and could have been waiting for him to wake up. He smelled an aroma of something being cooked and tried to feel more of his surroundings. He now noticed he wasn't in bed but rather on a couch. There wasn't much there to do now but to 'announce' to them that he is now awake.

He slowly opened his eyes as he looked at the figure sitting near him. It was a woman around her twenties. She had a black hair and was wearing a blue jacket along a blue skirt. A black shirt was under her jacket and she was sitting on a chair. She was wiping a gun and he recognized that it was his. He sat up slowly on the couch and looked at her as they had an eye-to-eye contact.

"So, you're awake." the woman said. "I'm sorry I hit you back there."

Caleb was silent as he rubbed his temples, remembering the past events before he got there. "Where am I?"

"Wow, he had amnesia with that hit." a man's voice spoke behind him and gave a soft chuckle. Caleb didn't look at him but was still looking at Jill.

"Stop being so silly Carlos, we are the one who sort of brought him here, of course he doesn't know this place."

"So what's your name?" another woman's voice entered and this time, Caleb turned to take a look. It was a woman around her twenties also, she a dirty blond hair and light tone skin. A man was beside him, also around his twenties and had a muscular built. He had dark hair along with his dark eyes. He assumed that the man was Carlos.

"Ca-Caleb." it was all he could say and was back to being silent.

"I don't think your mother would like to know that you were carrying a gun around, along with a knife. And I think they are worried now that you're gone for a few hours." the woman behind him spoke. "You're not a normal kid are you?"

Carlos tried to butt in. "Hey Alice, are you-"

"You're Alice, one of the survivors from the Raccoon City incident, are you?"

"How did you know?"

Caleb looked away and thought of something else. He thought what Ada said before that if he ever meet Alice's group, he better stay with them. He concluded that he could trust this people and let them know about the truth behind him. But he also thought that he shouldn't blow Ada's cover.

"Hey kid, are you one of Umbrella's-"

"No! And I will be a part of them!" Caleb shot a sharp look at Jill who asked him the question but was cut before she could have finished her question to the boy. He started to tear as pain was rising up again. It wasn't as painful as before. He was seeing again visions of his previous life. He saw all of his family and friends, some memories of his childhood and some more detailed events from Raccoon City. All the pain of loss was building up inside him but he was only holding back. A knot formed in his stomach as he saw most of his memories slowly fading away, being stored in his head as he was snapped back to reality.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked who was now sitting on the chair beside him.

"Not quite, I think I should trust you since we had shared the same fate."

"Shared the same fate?" Alice was puzzled by what the boy had just said but she can't understand him.

"I'm also a Raccoon City survivor." everyone stared at him, wondering if it was some sort of sick joke. But it wasn't, the boy was dead serious from what he just said. They were puzzled but would end up being silent.

"How the hell did you got out of that damn place?" Jill broke the silence as she spoke in a more serious tone.

"I sneaked behind an Umbrella vehicle and I managed to get out of the place. But unfortunately, I was caught." Caleb looked down and felt so defeated even if he was now alright.

"What did they do to you?" Alice asked him with a firm voice.

"They experimented on me. It took several weeks before I finally woke up not knowing what to do. Of course, I was in a facility and it somehow gave me some advantages, like I am able to regenerate my wounds in a faster rate. That explains why I am okay now after being hit by a car. I assume it gave me some intelligence as I could conclude well from a normal kid." Caleb answered her and did not hesitate at all to let her know what happened to him.

"Where were you experimented then?" Alice asked again.

"I don't know but their facility was under a hospital. I don't what's the name since I never saw the front or any papers about it."

"Then how did you get here at Los Angeles."

Caleb thought that he really shouldn't expose Ada, the person who saved his ass from the Corporation. So he started thinking of an excuse how he got there. He looked down while the others were puzzled why he didn't answer at all but they only stared at him.

"I uhm, got out of the facility and I stayed in the hospital above it. I somehow crashed to another one's life and I told him that I lost my parents in an accident. He said he lived in Los Angeles and he was going there but he wasn't feeling well so he decided to stay in the hospital. He said that I could be adopted by his friend who also lived here in Los Angeles. We actually got there but someone tried to steal my friend's wallet, Max. So I ran after him and there, you accidentally hit me in the process. But I felt pain surged through my head as the man burned to death along with Max's wallet."

"So you did it?" Jill asked rudely.

"It must have been the effect of whatever Umbrella did to him." Alice explained to her. "I think you should let them know you're fine."

"Yeah." Caleb said as Alice threw him a phone and he caught it. He thought of what to do. He'll be contacting Ada that he had done his mission and get his reward. He began typing the message on phone.

"Ada, this is Caleb, Greg is dead, and I'm with Alice. I'll contact you again in a few days so we could meet up."

He sent the message to Ada's number that was written on the card she had given him. But he did not take it out as he already memorized Ada's number plus others might suspect him. He deleted the messages at the sent folder so there would be no evidences.

"Can I stay here with you guys since were all survivors. Every one of us had dealt with those things and I'm sure there would be another incident like that and would spread worldwide."

"You have a point, so what did you told them."

Caleb smiled and said "I said thank you and goodbye, I also told them I met up with my aunt so I'm staying with them."

"Whose you're aunt?" Carlos butts in.

"No one, I'm staying with you guys, can I?"

"Sure, you're in kiddo." Carlos smiled at the boy and left the room. Jill also smiled along with Alice as they climbed up the stairs.

Caleb smiled and looked around. He just noticed that he was in a living room. He was now ignoring the nice aroma coming from the kitchen. A girl came down from the stairs and Caleb looked at her.

"Angie?"

The girl was puzzled and looked at him. "Caleb?"

"You're alive Angie, but how?"

"Those people rescued me because my father ordered them to. But he died before we took off from the Raccoon City with the helicopter."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What about Skyler, did he find you?"

"No."

"He didn't survive, I'm sure of it." they both looked down.

Carlos popped out from the kitchen and said that dinner is ready and they better call the other two upstairs. Caleb volunteered to go upstairs and call Jill and Alice. When he got up, there was a hallway with a few doors on it. He heard noises coming from one of the doors so he walked straight to it. He knocked on the door twice.

"Come in." a feminine voice was heard from the inside. He was sure it was Jill's voice. He took the door knob and turned and pushed the door open. Alice was sitting on the bed while Jill was sitting on the desk, typing something on the laptop.

"Dinner is ready." It was all Caleb could say to them.

"We'll be down in a few minutes. I'm just searching for some Umbrella activities that could turn them down." Jill said.

"I'm sure you won't find anything there. Umbrella would do anything to eradicate evidences. Look at how they dispatch their Nemesis Program." Alice reacted to what Jill said.

"I saw that thing in town." Caleb gave a small chuckle, turned around and got out of the door. He got down on the first floor again and looked on the table beside the couch. The cellular phone was still there. He took a gulp and decided it was time to call Ada.

He walked towards the table and grabbed the phone. He turned around and looked. He went to the kitchen and saw the bathroom door and entered inside the room.

He dialed the phone. It rang and someone answered, but it was a man's voice.


	9. Rendezvous

Chapter 9

Rendezvous

"Dr. Isaacs, the detected disturbance that occurred a few hours ago was made by the Icarus Program. It was the new procedure made by Dr. Stanford, a scientist from one of our facilities." the holographic girl appeared again in front of the scientist.

"It has remarkable capabilities than Project Alice. It has bonded with the T-Virus like how Alice' did." Dr. Isaacs complimented as he gazed upon a paper containing the readings from the previous disturbance. "How come it is able to show its abilities if it is still under procedure?"

"Apparently, the subject escaped a few days ago, stopping its procedure for phase 2 of the Project."

"I see, it should have been moved to a more secured facility."

"Negative, the subject had undergone procedure of phase 1 as soon as possible. It was in the same day Raccoon City was destroyed."

"You mean the procedure was that long?"

"Yes."

"Tell our men to capture the subject. Give them a picture acquired at the previous facility. We'll continue the procedure in the European Branch."

Caleb gulped as he heard the man in the phone. He was puzzled why it was a man. It stunned him that he didn't say anything for the pass few seconds as he thought of some excuse he could use but there was none.

[May I talk to Ms. Ada?]

[This is her.] the man in the phone answered. He was more puzzled now as he was thinking why the man in the phone is somehow in denial.

[A-Ada?] Caleb spoke with doubt and hesitation why.

[Yes?] the man in the phone answered as his coarse voice echoed through the bathroom's walls.

[T-This is Caleb.] the boy said with a doubt in his head.

[Oh! I'm sorry to scare you darling.]

Caleb was puzzled as there was a beep that was heard on the phone. It echoed through the wall again and he was scared someone might hear him from the outside.

[How's your mission?] Ada's voice was back to her normal cool voice.

[What did you do?]

[It was a voice-changer, safety purposes, it might blow my cover.]

[Oh, did you receive my message?]

[So Greg is really dead?]

[Yeah, I burned him hard.]

[You burned his body?]

[Abilities.]

[Where will we meet darling?]

[Downtown? Suggest a place. I have never been in Los Angeles before so I am not really familiar.]

[I'm looking at my GPS. We'll meet in Shabu Shabu House.]

[Where is that?]

[I don't know. Go rely on that taxi of yours.]

She gave a small chuckle and hang up. Caleb gave a small frown on his face and was puzzled on what to do. He put his phone in his jacket pocket and walked towards the door. He opened it, and to his surprise, Carlos was standing in front of him. They stared eye-to-eye and he knew he was somehow in trouble and thought he could have heard their conversation.

"Who was that?"

"It was Max's girlfriend, I called her because I forgot to say that I lost Max's wallet. I was supposed to call Max but his girlfriend answered for him instead."

"What are you going to do then?"

"We are going to meet up in some restaurant."

"What for?"

"She said she's going to give me something. I really don't know what."

"You can go after dinner."

They both smiled at each other and Caleb walked towards the kitchen as he sat down the hard surface of the wooden chair. He looked at the food and there was nothing but rice and fried egg. Not so typical for an ordinary dinner.

"I'm sorry it's all we had for now."

Caleb smiled as he began eating the meal in front of him. Angie came into the kitchen as well and began eating too beside him. They were both done a few minutes later. Caleb stood up and approached Carlos.

"May I borrow my gun?"

"Why ask me? Go upstairs and ask Jill."

"May I borrow Alice's phone?"

"Go ahead, she doesn't use it much. I'll just tell her that later."

"Thanks."

Caleb walked towards the stairs and got up. He knocked on the door again where Jill and Alice were before. Jill's voice told him to come in. He grabbed the door knob and opened the door. Alice was typing something on the laptop while Jill was doing something with her phone.

"Hey Jill, I'm going to get something from Max's girlfriend. I need back my gun."

"It's illegal kiddo. You're a 12 yr. old kid and shouldn't play with guns."

"I at least need protection from Umbrella. They would likely capture me would they?"

"Then don't go."

"Let him go Jill." Alice butts in time to save his day.

"Thanks, Alice. I also borrowed your phone."

"It's ok. You can go now, be careful."

Caleb smiled at her as she smiled back. He walked outside the room, down the stairs then straight to a small table beside the couch. His gun was there and he grabbed it. Beside it were two fully loaded clips. He grabbed it and slid it inside its proper holster under his jacket. He brought again his gun out again and released the clip and inspected it. It was also fully loaded with bullets so he slammed it back in. He clicked the safety switch so he wouldn't fire at himself if the trigger was pulled under his jacket. He went to the front door but something stopped him. He noticed that Carlos was at his back.

"I'll be going now."

He turned around and opened the door. He got out the house and saw that there were more houses beside it. He was more of inside a small village or some subdivision. He reached for his wallet and it was still there inside his pants' pocket. He took it out and there was still extra money inside that was from Ada, at least a hundred bucks.

"Now how the hell can I go there?" he asked himself.

Luckily, there was a cab that was about to pass. It didn't take a lot to raise his arm and the cab stopped in front of him. He got inside the vehicle as he looked to the driver in front of him.

"Where to boy?"

"Shabu Shabu Restaurant."

"Are you on a date?"

"No." the boy answered with a little frown.

With that signal, the driver stepped on the pedal as the cab began to move. It took at least fifteen minutes before he could gaze upon the city's high skyscrapers. Some had exotic shapes and seems that it has a life on its own. The city is still alive even pass 10 in the evening. The cab finally stopped in front of the restaurant, he could clearly see that it was somehow not from this area of the world. He gave the driver the fare and an extra just for a tip. He stepped out of the cab and walked towards the entrance without removing the entrance from his sight. He noticed Ada's red vehicle on one of the parking space just in front of the restaurant. He got inside and some of the waitresses gazed upon him making his light toned skinned turned bright red. He really doesn't want any attention until he noticed Ada talking on her cellular phone on a table beside the window. He walked towards her and stopped as they met eye-to-eye.

"Hi."

The woman pressed a button on her phone and slid it inside her attaché case under table. Caleb knew her weaponry is hidden there. She was wearing a red dress that extends just above her knees. She was wearing something really simple for the day. "Don't you want to sit?"

The boy sat in front of her and looked out of the window. "So, you have my reward?"

"Absolutely." She opened her case with the opening as small as possible and stretched her hand inside it. When she took it out, there was money in her hand. She put the case back under the table again and her hand moved under the table. Caleb knew what to do and reached out his hand under the table until he could feel the money between his fingers. He grabbed and looked at the money he had gained. The woman had given him 3500 bucks as his reward for killing Greg.

"Score." the boy whispered to himself and had a grin on his face.

"Now I must go, I had another assignment." the woman in red stood up and walked towards the entrance and exited the restaurant.

"Good luck." it was all he can say but Ada didn't hear it.

As soon as her vehicle left the parking space, there was something he noticed from outside the window. A man in black jacket with a cap and shades was sitting on a bench across the street. When Ada's car was out of sight, he immediately stood up and crossed the street. He knew that the man had his eyes locked on him. Caleb gulped as the man had just stepped out of the pedestrian lane. He reached his hand inside his jacket and took out a gun. He aimed towards the boy and fired. Caleb ducked and covered himself under the table as the bullet penetrates the window and shatters the glass material. The people were screaming everywhere and ran for their lives. He crawled from under the table to another until he reached the table in front of the comfort room's door. He ran for the door and it was unlocked. He opened the door and entered the room as the man jumped inside the restaurant through the window. He aimed to the boy again and fired but missed his face by just a few inches. He closed the door and ducked just in time as three bullets pierced through the door. He went to the wall and that there was no exit. The door was now in front of him as he heard the man outside approaching for the door. He ran towards the door and kicked it with all his might as it was disassembled from its screws and hit the man behind it. He was thrown back and flew as he crash landed on one of the tables. He was only stunned and is now trying to stand up. Caleb ran for the entrance as the man grabbed his gun and began shooting his target but was futile as the boy was now out of his sight.

Caleb ran as he crossed the street and stopped because a car almost hit him. He looked to his right as Jill was driving the car with Carlos beside him on the front seats. Without hesitation he got inside the car.

"Step on it!" he commanded as Jill looked around and there was chaos in the area. So she did step on it and got out of the area.

"We knew you wouldn't get out of trouble." Carlos started.

"Someone is trying to kill me."

"What about the people with you?"

"They left a few minutes ago then I saw a guy from across the street and started shooting at me!"

"Someone has a vendetta on you." Carlos said as he gave a soft chuckle.

"I'm sure it's someone from Umbrella." Jill interrupted. "They wouldn't let anyone interfere and have their own evidences destroyed."

Their conversation stopped as a fire truck overtook them and most of the cars in front of them. The three looked up and red light from a distance. They finally came to the place but were too shocked to get out of the car. The whole place was burned down. Ambulances and fire trucks came on after the other as the three looked upon the remains of the houses on the area.


	10. Departure

Chapter 10

Departure

"Oh no!" Jill muttered as the three of them were seeing such scenery before them. Most of the houses were turned into debris and ashes. They looked to the left as they saw representatives from hospitals carrying stretchers, leading them to rows of bodies covered in blankets. Some people are beside some of the bodies, crying for their lost loved ones that are now nothing but corpses. They tried to look for Angie and Alice from the crowd but they are not to be seen among them. Jill approached one of the representatives that were attending the injured.

"Excuse me. Were you able to trace the bodies of Alice and Angie Ashford?"

"I'm sorry miss but I'm not the one responsible for listing all the corpses' identities. Perhaps you should ask him." the man raised his hand and pointed towards a man from a distance holding some papers, probably the list of the corpses' identities. She approached the man, but he noticed her first because he wasn't really attending to anyone.

"Hello there ma'am, I'm Dr. Abraham Connors, may I help you?"

"I was just about to ask if you were able to find Alice' and Angie Ashford's bodies?"

"I'm sorry but we haven't traced any of those people. I'm really sorry." the man said with a smile as they shook hands making the situation quite awkward.

Caleb approached the two and butts in. "Jill, I cannot find them." then he looked to the man she was talking to. They had an eye-to-eye contact and he knew there was something from that man but he cannot figure out what was it.

"Its ok." it was all Jill could say for the meantime.

The two of them Carlos as the three walked to each other. Carlos said he too didn't find anything from the two. They walked back to their car and drove off from the place. They are now trying to figure out what to do next but were unsure of what to do.

"I'm sure they have somehow escaped." Carlos said to 'break the ice.'

"But who the hell do you think would do that?" Caleb responded with an awkward look on his face. He wasn't sure if he should butt in their conversation.

"I suggest it is Umbrella but how did they knew our exact location?"

"That's the point but do you think they put some tracking device on Alice' body when they tried to regenerate her body?" Jill finally spoke.

"What do you mean by 'regenerate her body'?" Caleb said as he was puzzled by what Jill had said.

"We escaped from Raccoon City by some helicopter we obtained from Umbrella. During the explosion, a metal flew towards Angie but Alice intercepted and got herself impaled from it. It pierced through her body. We crashed somewhere from the Arklay Mountains and left her body there while we escaped the crash site before they could find us. We're sure Umbrella would recover her likewise since she is an experiment like you that was done by Umbrella. Weeks later, me, L.J., Carlos, disguised ourselves as Umbrella employees and helped her escape from one of their facilities. Then a few weeks more, we bumped to you." Jill explained to Caleb as brief as possible.

"Do you think they put a tracking device on me too?"

"It's possible, it's a reason how that killer had come to try and kill you."

"But that would mean that they had retrieved now." Carlos interrupted.

"Yes, it's a good reason but for now, we are going to a store and get ourselves some supplies."

"Why?" the boy asked

"We are moving out of this city."

"What about Alice and Angie?" Carlos butted in.

"They can fend off for themselves."

The car stopped as they saw a store across the street. They turned had park the car in front of the store. The three got out of the car walked towards the entrance.

"I'll get us some food and things that might be useful in our travels. Carlos, get us some ammunition from the gun shop next block. Caleb, get us some drinks."

The three of them left as Jill handed them some money she 'stole' back before he met them. Carlos got inside the gun shop. Caleb and Jill got inside the store. She grabbed two carts but the boy only had one. He spotted a cooler so he grabbed it and put it inside the cart but it didn't fit. So he left it there for the mean time. He grabbed bottled waters and some soft drinks just in case they wanted to have some kind of 'fun.' There were a few cans of soft drinks but most of the cart was filled with drinking water. She saw Jill across the aisle as one of the cart was overflowing with food while the other is almost full. He got back to the cooler and grabbed it on his shoulder. He went to the counter and start giving it to the cashier, while the other person was putting the things in the plastic bags.

Jill approached him as she gave the keys to Caleb and pointed on their car outside the store. Carlos was leaning on car, waiting as he was already done buying ammunitions. The cashier was already done as she asked for the payment. Caleb gave it to her and got the change as he put the extra money in his pocket. He carried five plastic bags full of drinks and approached Carlos outside.

"Wow, that's quite heavy and you lifted it easily." Carlos complimented and smiled on the boy.

"It must have been the fluids that they injected to me."

"Fluids?"

"I'm an experiment escaped from Umbrella, remember?"

"Oh."

Caleb gave him the keys as he opened the locks. He put what he had bought at the backseat while the drinks at the compartment together with the cooler. Jill approached them with two men pushing the carts filled with bags. It seems that it will not fit inside the car. She smiled as the two left and got inside the store again.

She crossed the street as she approached the van. She took something out of her pocket and lock-picked the door of the van. It didn't take a minute before she was able to open it. It doesn't have an alarm system so there was nothing to worry about. She hot wired the van as the engine started as she drove and stopped in front of the two. The door opened and there were two seats at the front. At least two could fit in beside the driver's seat. There were two rows of seats at the middle of the van where at least two people could fit on each seat. There were two seats on the back of the van that were placed on the sides where at least 3 people could fit in it. Over all, it was quite big for them as they put all the things they bought which fit inside and still had spaces left.

The three of them drove off of the place as they are more comfortable now because the space is wider. This time, Carlos was the one who was driving the vehicle.

"So, what did you got?" Jill asked.

"Well, I got two pump-action shotguns, two sniper rifles, and two M4A1's."

"I don't like shotguns." Jill muttered. "I'll have the M4A1."

"Of course I had loads of magazine for handguns, extra magazines for other weapons and shells for the shotgun."

"Can I have the sniper?" Caleb interrupted.

"Why would you think we would let you handle weapons?" Jill reacted.

"I trained at my uncle's shooting range and I played air soft with my uncle since I was like 7."

"I didn't see that one coming." Carlos complimented.

"You mean you know how to handle guns since you were a small boy?"

"Yup."

"How old are you anyway?" Carlos asked

"I'm only 12." the boy answered with a grin on his face.

"You are that young and you have already experience something bad like losing everyone you know."

"Yeah, and the truth was showed to me because of you guys." the boy said as Jill noticed the boy smiling on her.

"You better get some sleep."

The three were interrupted as the phone rang from inside the boy's pocket. He took it out and read the message. "It's from Alice."


	11. Dreams

Chapter 11

Dreams

"Sir, are you sure you want to continue this procedure?"

"Yes, I have calculated it very carefully that I am compatible for our procedure."

"But there are certain risks sir-"

"I don't care, go on with the procedure I estimated it correctly and everything will go fine!"

"Dr. Stanford! We don't have certain scientists in this facility that knows the procedure besides you."

"I just gave you the disk damn it! It contains all information on the procedure. Get the best out of this facility and proceed!"

"But-"

"I am 100% sure nothing will go wrong! I will be the next subject for the Icarus Program and this will be complete unlike our first subject."

"Very well sir, we must first have some of our most essential needs before we could start."

"I know that, so get our men and get me that _beta hetero nonserotonin_, it will deliver most of the mutation."

"Yes doctor." it was all the man can say before he goes out of the room they were at.

"Doctor Connors, I assure you that my program will be better than yours and I will be the dawn of our new generation B.O.W.'s!"

Caleb quickly gave the phone to Jill as she grabbed it from his hand. She read the message that was written on the phone and said that the two of them were fine.

"Where are they?" Carlos asked.

"They are heading somewhere in San Francisco." Jill and Caleb said in unison.

"So, we're taking a detour?" Carlos asked again.

"Of course, we'll go there and fetch them."

"Why do they have to go there?"

"I don't know. Maybe Umbrella is after them and they have to move somewhere far away, I think."

"Why would they let Alice out if they have to get her later on?"

"I don't know I'm not from Umbrella you know."

Caleb relaxed back on the seat and looked outside the window. There is nothing really to see except for the darkness. He thought that he might be away from the nightmare he saw in Raccoon City, but it was only temporary. He knew that the virus outbreak in Raccoon City was the start. He was thinking more clearly now ever since he had escaped from the facility. He thought that the procedures somehow boost his intelligence and he's glad it happened.

"Caleb, it's almost midnight you better get some sleep." Jill said as he was snapped back to reality. "We'll be there by morning."

Caleb followed what she said and leaned on the window. He just noticed he just had a long day. Killing someone, almost got run over by a car, meeting up with Alice, getting himself almost killed by a person he doesn't know, and doing some kind of runaway. His tiredness just kicked in just in time as his eyes were slowly closing.

He was in a dark place, nothing engulfed him but fear. It was like everywhere. There was no escape from that fear as it become more distinct in his deep blue eyes. It was like there is no hope. He thought if that is really reality. Neither the world nor humanity is saved from the destruction that they have cast upon themselves. Then his thoughts were turned to what was the cause of the destruction. It was the Umbrella Corporation, they are the reason this nightmare started. No ones when the nightmares will end or even if it would really end.

His thoughts were interrupted when sounds were coming from the darkness before him. He noticed that he was now sitting against the wall behind him. He felt a little safer now at least. There is 'something' to lean to and he knew it wouldn't let him down. The sounds were more distinct, he knew the thing was approaching his direction. His heart was pounding fast against his rib cage. He never felt it since the outbreak from his hometown. His eyes were more adjusted to the dark now as he saw a figure before him. It wasn't monstrous at all, rather it was humane.

"Caleb, it's nice to see you here." the figure spoke, its voice was cold and fear struck him as he heard it.

"Who are you?" the boy replied, fighting off the fear he is feeling.

"I am you."

"What? That is impossible?!"

"You fool. We are inside your dream."

"You can't control me that easily." he started thinking positively as he could, ignoring the fear that had engulfed him. Little by little, light was beginning to show. In a few seconds the small room he is in was filled with light. However, something else struck him, he could see himself, but it was something he didn't expect. He couldn't notice it was him. The 'Caleb' before him was not human but rather a monster. He had scarlet red eyes and his Sclera (white part of the eye) was black. He had fangs that was extending outside his lips that a bit gray. His skin was color gray as if it was already dead, blue veins were seen in some parts. His nails were and seemed he had claws now. It was also colored black. As he looked to it more, fear was coming back. The light in the room was fading away as darkness was growing inside. He felt so hopeless inside.

"You see Caleb, I am growing inside you. I am also the source of your powers. But I still need Umbrella. We cannot use our powers unless we let them finish the procedure."

"I will never turn in to you." the boy shot back, gathering all the courage he had left."

"But don't you want power? You know we are always together and you can have it. Plus, you can never stop me from growing inside you."

There was a dim light that let him see the 'thing' before him. It grew two black wings from its black, stretching almost endlessly.

"I am your future." he made a devilish grin and winked at the boy before him. Caleb didn't know what it meant as he was shot back to reality.

"Caleb, we're here."

Jill was the one on the driver's seat while Carlos was beside her. They must have shifted while he was asleep. It was daytime and the blinding light from the sun hit him as he was trying to sit. His back was quite aching from sleeping on the seat. It seems that it was already noon as he noticed the sun was directly above them as he felt the heat that was coming from the outside.

"Where are we?"

"San Francisco."

He looked to the view in front of them. He was shocked from what he saw in front of them. The city was in ruins, there was no human to be seen from his sight. They were on top of some hill where they could see most of the city.

"What happened here?" the boy asked.

"The infection probably had reached this area."

"How can we find the two of them then?"

"We haven't heard of them still. We're going to stay here for the meantime. Or should we go down?"

"What are we going to do there?"

"Find something? Maybe there could be survivors down there." Carlos interrupted.

"We'll hide the van then go down there. We'll see what we can find."

The van started the engine and they went for the city. The ruins they saw became more detailed. The city was like Raccoon City. It was deserted and nothing to be seen except for some scraps that were around. Dead bodies we there too but it would be best to consider them as those flesh eating monsters they saw from Raccoon City. They found a nice spot in front of a restaurant that was in ruins.

Caleb was nervous as he knew he would come to face with those things again. As soon as they were properly parked, Jill got out of the van with her gun at the ready. She quickly opened the door of the van. Caleb grabbed his gun under his jacket and got out too. The two inspected the nearby areas with a steady aim. They got in the store and they walked cautiously towards the counter. They could smell the food that was now rotting. Two bodies began to rise. There were two reanimated bodies of waitresses in front of them. They shot together in unison as if it was only on gunshot. Their head exploded and their body fell on the floor, lifeless. Jill proceeded on while Caleb went back to the van parked in front of the restaurant. Carlos was already outside. Surprisingly, he was on top of the van. A sniper rifle was held as he began shooting those things from a distance. Near his foot was an assault rifle. More bodies began to rise from inside the store. He turned around and found more of them. Caleb shot and nailed bullets through the heads of the bodies.

Caleb froze as he heard more consecutive gunshots as it echoed through the walls of the buildings. Carlos was already using the assault rifle and was mowing down small groups of those things. Jill finally came out of the store with her gun still in her hands. The three kept shooting the things that were approaching them. In a few minutes, none of them was to be seen moving anymore. Caleb had used all of his extra magazines and so is Jill. The two went to the back of the van. Jill opened the door and Caleb grabbed one of the bags that were filled with magazines. He grabbed three magazines. He hid the two under his jacket. He released the clip that was inside his gun and slammed another one in.

"Should we go now? We're not really welcome here." Caleb asked.

"I'm sure a survivor could have heard those gunshots. They are bound to come here, thinking it's a rescue."

"What if there are?"

"Then we'll take them with us." Jill interrupted.

The two got inside the van, guns at the ready. Carlos was still on top of the vehicle, pretty unlucky he had to burn under the sun. Jill grabbed the extra sniper rifle from the back. The vehicle is more like a mini-bunker now.

"Are those gunshots?" Angie asked Alice who was beside her.

"It looks like they have come. We'll have to move now before they might think we're not here. Do you think the three of you are up for a run?" Alice asked, referring to the people behind them. There were two boys and one girl at her back. They still don't know how they would survive. The girl had a long dark blond hair and had deep blue eyes. Beside her was a younger boy who had also short sandy blond hair and has dark eyes. Beside him was another younger boy who has short brown hair that comes along with his brown eyes.

"I think so." the girl responded.

Alice smiled at her. The five of them had locked themselves inside a room where only a small lamp was giving them light. Alice approached the door and grabbed the door knob. She turned it slowly and opened the door with her gun at the ready. There was nothing there. Few gunshots were heard coming from at least three blocks east of their location.

"The coast is clear." she turned then the blond haired girl at her back. "Can you shoot?"

"I'll try."

"Stay at the most rear and keep an eye out. Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen as long as we stick together." She took out a gun from one of her holsters and gave it to the girl.

The five of them walked out of the room and proceeded to the source of the noise with caution. All of them were alert. Their eyes were like moving in every possible direction. They are keeping an eye out because those things might come after them. A few were to be seen loitering around but they didn't shoot because they don't want any attention. Suddenly, one of those things noticed them. It was now approaching them at its slow pace. Without hesitation, Alice pulled the trigger as the bullet went through its head, making it explode on impact.

"Run!" Alice shouted to her group as more of those things were coming out of the buildings. All were going towards their direction. The five of them made a run for it. Alice was shooting the ones on their way. The girl however, did not dare to shoot. The blond haired boy grabbed the gun from her hands and replaced her position. He was now at the back of the group and shot the ones that approaching them. He was shooting at random parts of the body so some were still standing. He ignored it and began shooting at their knees. One by one, the things were falling down, but not yet dead.

"I'm out of bullets." he shouted.

They still kept running. Alice knew that she was also running out of bullets, making her shoot less. She slammed her last magazine inside her gun and still kept shooting.

"Were those gunshots?" Jill explained as soon as she heard it.

"Looks like it." Caleb reacted, slamming a new magazine inside his gun.

"Carlos! Get inside, we're moving out!" Jill shouted enough for Carlos to hear.

He got down with the guns and got inside the van. Jill started the engine as she drive the van off from the parking space.

"It's getting nearer." Caleb exclaimed.

"Caleb and I are going to shoot the ones on the way from the window." Carlos said. "Are you ready boy?"

"Sure."

The two of them got their heads and one of their arms outside the window, shooting the ones on the way. Jill ran over the bodies, making it quite a bumpy ride.

Meanwhile, Alice was now out of ammo. She just kept knocking the ones on the way to the ground. Their movement got slower as more of them were coming from their backs. Just in time, the van was in their view.

"There they are!" Angie happily exclaimed.

Gunshots were coming from the van as it was coming closer. Alice' group stayed on their spot, waiting for them to stop.

"It's them!" Caleb said, still shooting the ones on the way.

The van finally stopped in front of them. Caleb swung the door open with a small smile on his face. He got out of the van, still at a steady aim for the ones that were nearing, shooting them of course.

"Quick! Get inside!" he shouted over the noise from the gunshots. As soon as the five of them got in, he shot the last one and got inside too.


	12. Fated Meetings

Chapter 12

Fated Meetings

Jill was still driving the van with Carlos beside her. Alice and Angie were on the front row while Caleb and the brown-haired boy were on the second. The two blonds were at the back, a bit uncomfortable since their supplies were there too.

"How many did you find?" Jill asked first.

"There are only three of them, all are minors unfortunately." Alice replied with her natural voice, as if nothing much has happened.

"Does anyone there know how to handle a gun?" Jill shouted but no one responded from her question. "It looks like we have to train you."

"What's our plan then?" Carlos asked.

"I just received a message from Claire a while ago. We're not moving to their position. Apparently, the infection had reached the area also. Within a few months I'm sure it will be worldwide."

"We'll have to get more ammunition and supplies. I think we'll have to hijack another vehicle." Alice interrupted.

"Let's look for a gun shop first." Carlos butts in.

There were less of those things on the road now. Jill just kept avoiding them so the ride was quite bumpy. They are still at the middle of the city, moving in circles, trying to find a gun shop for ammunition since they have depleted it from the previous rescue. Jill found a nice spot so she exchanged with Carlos. Unfortunately, Carlos noticed that there fuel is almost empty. Their search for ammunition was turned into a search for a gas station. They were forced to go the outskirts because there might be a gas station there.

Alice grabbed some snacks for the three kids because they have not eaten for almost a day. Jill became more uncomfortable from seeing the empty gas tank on the HUD. Carlos was still relaxed on his seat until a gas station finally came into view. There are three of 'them' standing under the shade.

"I'll take care of it." Caleb said confidently, drawing his gun from inside his jacket. The boy's eyes beside him widened from seeing the gun.

"I'll be with you." Alice said, being supportive.

As soon as the van was near, it stopped. The door swung open as Alice and Caleb and Alice got out. Three consecutive gunshots were heard as their heads exploded. Their bodies fell on the ground with a brittle thump. The two of them were careful enough not to hit the gas tank since it might cause an explosion. A small store was beside the gas station.

"We'll get some supplies." Alice said. "Come with me Ashley." The blond-haired girl obeyed and got out of the van.

"I'll check the lounge." Jill said, getting out of the van. "I'll see if there is something useful we can find there."

Carlos too got out of the van. It seems that the van runs on diesel gas. So he opened the tank and start refilling the tank. He was still outside, gun at the ready. Meanwhile, Caleb got inside the van again.

"Hey mister, I need to pee, can you come with me?" the boy beside him begged.

"Sure." Caleb said, drawing his gun again from his jacket. "Hey Carlos, we're going to the comfort room for a while. We'll be back." he said to the man, getting permission.

"Okay." it was all he said.

The two boys got out of the van again. Caleb sighted an arrow sign that leads to the comfort room beside the store. They could see Alice and Ashley from the distance. Nothing seems to be wrong from there. The two walked towards the side of the store that leads to the back portion of the small building, still keeping a steady aim. The two turned to a corner. Nothing was to be seen except for the two doors. A comfort room for male and female. They approached it cautiously. His gun was still aimed slightly upwards, making a perfect aim for a headshot just in case something shows up. They could smell the odor coming from the comfort room. He was quite sure it wasn't really under maintenance for the past few days.

Caleb entered the room first followed by the boy whose knees were trembling a bit. His breathing was a bit heavy and can be told that he was really nervous. Caleb gazed upon his surroundings as he looked in almost every direction, making sure those things weren't present. A foul odor was present which made him thought that there were at least one was there. There were two sinks and three cubicles. He kicked the door of one of the cubicles, there was none there. He kicked the other two, making sure none of them were present inside the room. There was nothing to be seen inside the cubicles. The boy with him got in the first one while he got in the second. He did his business fast so he got out first, followed by the boy.

"What's your name?" Caleb asked.

"Miko, you're Caleb right?"

"Yes." but before he could speak another word, the two of them heard soft moans from the outside. They knew it was one of the flesh-eating creatures they saw. Miko closed his cubicle door and hid inside. A reanimated body of a woman appeared in the doorway. Caleb aimed for its head but before he could pull the trigger. Its head was blown apart by another gunshot, scattering brain chunks on the floor. Jill rushed in and the two were aiming at each other.

"I heard some slamming here so I came to check it out."

Miko stepped outside the cubicle while Jill aimed at him making him jump in fright. Jill put her gun down as soon as she realized it was a human.

"Is anyone still here?"

Before he could answer, another one appeared at her back, ready to grab her and bite her neck.

"Duck!" Jill ducked without hesitation. Caleb aimed and pulled the trigger nailing a bullet through its head. The creature fell backwards and landed on its back. "That was close." he said and gave a small chuckle. "It's just me and Miko."

The three of them were relieved and got out immediately. They walked back on the trail they walked to get to the comfort room. There was a cart, full of supplies, at the back of the van. They were transferring the plastic bags from the cart to the van.

"Who is the other boy?" Jill asked.

"His name is Thomas. He and his sister found me crying inside a closet because my mom asked me to hide there. I cried because mom never came back. I still stayed inside there because there were monsters outside." his face was looking lonely while explaining what happened. Caleb knew it was because he lost his mother. Jill didn't mind since she was not looking. They got to the van and it seems that Carlos was the only one outside. They had finished transferring the plastic bags. The three got inside and were on the same seats as before.

"So what's our next stop?" Carlos asked.

"We better get out of this place since we didn't spot any gun shop around here." Jill answered.

"We better head eastward." Alice interrupted. "You better turn on the radio for some news. We might be able to get to some place safe."

Jill turned on the radio of the van. Some stations were not responding so they kept looking until they found one.

[-ead is walking! Scientists believe it was caused by some sort virus that revives the dead. Some sources believe it is connected to the scandal of the Umbrella Corporation that was exposed by Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveros with the video of Miss Terri, a news reporter that was present in the Raccoon City incident. The two are still wanted in custody by the police to be questioned on their beliefs. However, the Corporation explains that the explosion was caused by a nuclear meltdown. Besides this explanation, the Corporation doesn't give any other explanation. Meanwhile, the western states of USA are already infected by the viru-] Jill turned off the radio again.

"It looks like the blame is on you guys." Alice said.

"Yeah, Umbrella keeps saying false explanation but it seems that some people don't believe it anymore." Jill replied.

Caleb wasn't really listening to what they are saying. Instead, he was looking outside the window even though there is not much to see because they are already out of the city. He was sitting beside the window so not much could bother him. Miko was looking outside too, but in a different direction. Caleb could see his reflection on the window. He was looking to himself this time and noticed something. His eyes were icy blue instead of being a deep blue color. He couldn't understand how it changed its color. It doesn't matter really to him now since it was still blue, his favorite color. Suddenly, the appearance on his reflection changed and turned to the monster he saw from his dream. His eyes widened as he stared directly to its scarlet red eyes. It showed him a grin but he was snapped back to reality. Miko was leaning on him and fell asleep. He looked to the younger boy but he could only see his hair. It was dark brown like his but with a darker shade. Caleb closed his eyes and leaned to Miko also. He was soon asleep. Alice looked the two behind them.

"The two of them looked like as if they were brothers." she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Jill asked.

"Never mind." she answered with smile on her face.

Meanwhile, in another Umbrella facility near San Francisco…

"Dr. Connors, our project has been completed." one of the assistants entered the room with a sign of some success.

"May I see it?" he asked with a contented look.

The two got out of room and walked directly to the elevator. Their footsteps echoed through the white halls of the facility. The elevator descended and they could feel their descent among the floors of the facility. It finally came to a stop and the doors swung open. The hall was filled with glass windows this time. They walked through it and see experiments done to some species.

"I'm sorry to say sir, but some of our recent experiments were failures." the assistant said.

"It is alright, for as long as one of our prioritized experiments is fully functional. The Genesis Project must be done in a matter of time or else our actions will be futile. The virus outbreak had reached more areas now and is growing exponentially."

"I agree with that sir, with that, I must add that the Eve program is almost done."

"I can't wait to see the Adam Program. I'm sure that if this works out, we will be able to stop the spread of the virus and control it without breaking a sweat."

"It's really a shame that the original copy was gone."

The two stopped in front of glass window. There were three scientists observing a body of a little boy. There were IV drips and many other gadgets that were used. They were gazing upon the body that was on the bed. It was sleeping and had a very dark brown hair, almost black.

"So, that is the long awaited Adam Program?" Dr. Connors asked.

"Yes sir, it has been genetically engineered so it is doesn't have the same traits as the original copy does."

"Perfect, it will be our pride against Stanford. His experiment was failure since he let his subject escape. Are you able to inject some 'parts' of Project Alice' DNA we stole from Dr. Isaacs?"

"Absolutely sir. The outcome of this will depend on how good Project Alice' skills are."

"Is it really time to remove it from its proper place?"

"Yes sir, we have removed it from the water tank since the cloning process only took three months."

"Goodness, I really have lost track of time. When will it wake up then?"

"Within 24 hours sir is its expected time for awakening. I must add sir, I heard that Dr. Stanford is using himself as a subject for his own Project."

"That man can't really pull down his pride. He's really a shame he's a part of this damn Corporation."

"You better look down there sir, he's finally waking up." the assistant said, pointing down on the window.

The boy opened his eyes slowly. The three men in the room rallied up beside the boy. One held his hand and removed the drip. He put some bandages while the other two was assisting him until all the drips were successfully removed. The door opened with a whooshing sound.

"Good morning Dr. Connors." one of the scientists said.

Dr. Connors approached the boy and looked directly to his eyes. He noticed it looked like his eyes were dark-brown but he was proven wrong. After staring at them for a few more seconds, it was a very dark shade of green. His precious success and pride was in front of him now.

"Who am I?" the boy asked. The four people around him stared at the boy in amazement. It wasn't really expected he could talk even though it has been 'born' recently.

"You are Adam." the doctor said. He approached the door with a little haste. "You can take him to his room now." he said before finally leaving the room.

The boy looked down as he could only remember two visions he just saw recently before waking up. He tried remembering the first vision. He could see a large monster in front of him in some dark alley. He felt fear and was feeling so helpless. The creature only had one eye while the other was blind. Its teeth and gums were shown and there were tentacles wrapped around its shoulders. The creature wasn't moving at all and seems it was no harm to it. But he was still in fear when he tries to remember the vision.

He tried remembering the second vision. He could see a woman in a blue outfit. They were in a helicopter with some other people. An explosion was seen and it was really bright. An object went straight for the little girl he just noticed, his body moved automatically and moved in front of the girl. The object went straight to him instead, impaling his body. He could remember 'pain' whenever he sees that part of the vision.

He was snapped back to reality and he was now on a wheel chair. He was being pushed by some one. But there is one name he couldn't put out of his mind: Caleb.


	13. Awakening

Chapter 13

Awakening

There was a bump on the road which Caleb felt. He was awoken by this disturbance. It's already sunset based on the position of the sun. He noticed that he and Miko were still leaning on each other. He was still asleep. He looked outside the window and noticed that they are in an over-viewing area, possibly the road is located on some high hill. He saw an empty valley, nothing to be seen from it. He thought it must have looked some kind of big crater when it is viewed from above. He remembered one of his visions he saw that suddenly occupied his mind. It was a very big explosion. He suddenly remembered that it was where Raccoon City was located before. He sat straight up and stared at the view of it. It was somehow painful to see it. Jill was driving again this time. He looked around and seems that everyone is asleep except for the three adults and him.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Eastward, we just happen to pass through here since it is the fastest route we could take." Alice was the one to reply his question.

Suddenly a vision occupied his mind. It seems he can't remember it but he was seeing roads too. In a few seconds, he was feeling nostalgic there on the spot. It is as if he had been there before. He was seeing guns and some kind of shooting range. It was a part of his childhood. He remembered he was playing air soft with his uncle and they pass through this road whenever they have to go there. He was thinking hard again and is trying to remember if he can figure out the way to go there. They could get some ammunition there if ever the place was still in pieces.

"I remember this place." he said.

"Huh?" Alice replied with a puzzled tone.

"We used to pass this road whenever we go to my uncle's s shooting range. If we could go there, we could get ourselves some ammunition, if it still in pieces that is."

"I'm sure it wasn't caught by the explosion." Jill said

"Can you still remember the way there?" Carlos asked.

"I think so. I'll try my best to lead the way."

"We better go there by morning, there are only four of us who could handle firearms very well. It'll be hard for us to face hordes of those things at night. Besides, this is the first area that is infected." Alice suggested.

"The problem is where could we stay for the night?" Carlos asked.

Everyone was silent. It was getting dark so they forced to turn on the lights. There was nothing to see except the road. It's really a bad idea to travel in their situation but there is no place at all to stay for the night. Caleb was still looking out the window even though darkness is the only thing on the other side of the window.

"We better stop here." Alice suggested.

"What do you mean stop here? Are you trying to get us killed?" Jill contradicted with a higher tone of her voice.

"We should stop here on this spot. The adults should take turns as a look out. At least 2 hours each. As soon as there is daylight, we move."

"I agree. It's really dangerous right now to travel around. We could hit something on the way." Carlos supported her.

"Fine." Jill said with a discontented look. She stepped on the brake pedal and the van stopped moving. "I'll be on the first shift."

Carlos and Alice leaned on the windows beside them.

"Caleb, you better get some sleep also." Alice said. "You too Thomas."

Caleb didn't look at all to the person behind him. Instead, he leaned on Miko again and they were leaning on each other. Carlos and Alice were soon asleep while Jill was still on the driver's seat. He couldn't see what she's doing so he didn't mind anymore. He closed his eyes and went to sleep. The share of Miko's warmth and his made him more comfortable and secured for the rest of the night. He was soon asleep as the every of the van was filled with silence.

Ada was walking on the white hallways again. It was very silent as usual, same to the other facilities of Umbrella Corporation. She's very confident that she won't be caught by anyone so she walked straightforward without any hesitation in her mind.

"I wonder how Caleb is doing?" she thought to herself. Not much is to think except for her new assignment. She knew it would be quite tricky since the facility had a heavier guard than that of the facility where she found the little boy that worked for her. Her target is just within the facility but could be anywhere inside it. The Agency told her that her target will be troublesome if it will be a 100% success. She researched about it before starting her mission. She saw something there that disturbed her the most. Her target was called the Adam Program which was under the Genesis Project. She knew that it would have the same skills as Project Alice. Since Alice doesn't let herself being controlled by Umbrella so she is not much threat to the Agency. But if she did, they'll have to eliminate her later on. Ada had some respect on Alice since she had what it takes to break free from Umbrella. But this time, it is different. The Adam Program is still in the hands of Umbrella. It's her assignment to eliminate it at all cost. She pulled out a silencer and put it on her gun. She went on the hallways, killing every she sees in contact.

Adam was still in his room. There was nothing much to do in his bed. The things that only occupied his mind are the visions he saw. Confusion was the only thing it caused for him. He can't understand why there was an explosion there that would have killed thousands of people. He was confused why such monster exists. He doesn't who Caleb is and wondered himself many times who the person is. It seems that he didn't know anything at all. He was in despair for that. Suddenly, new visions were flashing before him. Flashbacks from Alice' memory suddenly absorbed his mind. He now knew of outbreak incident in the Hive. The outbreak that spread to the whole Raccoon City was shown. But the last thing he could remember is being impaled by the metal that was flying towards the little girl whom he recognized as Angie.

"Umbrella…Corporation…" he muttered. He was snapped back to reality when the door opened. It was an employee of Umbrella based on his white outfit on him. He was carrying a gun.

"Quick Adam, get on your wheel chair. An intruder had infiltrated the facility. It seems that you are the target!" he warned him. The person approached him and handled him with care. He didn't resist at all and followed the person's orders.

He was now on the wheelchair while the employee was pushing him to safety. They strolled through the hallways with a fast pace. He looked to the person behind him and he was looking really nervous. He suddenly stopped which made him looked back to the view in front of him. There were several bodies that were dead on the floor. Their blood stained the white floor. The person went back on pushing him through the hallways. It gave him a little fear and a chill went up his spine. They finally turned to one of the corners of the hallway. There was a white door at the end of it. The person started running quickly and they stopped in front of it.

"It's me, I'm with the Adam program." he announced.

The door was opened with a whooshing sound like all the doors of this floor does. There was also a person at the other side. Suddenly, somewhat shot at the two employees and there body fell on the floor. Blood was coming out of their gunshot wounds. The blood made him remembered all the visions he just recently seen that involves it. Including the flesh-eating creation Umbrella had created. Alice' memories were more emphasized now in his mind. He stood up with confidence and faced the person that shot the two employees that were trying to put him to safety. It was a woman in red. Her gun that was still in her hand was held up and was aiming for him.

"So, you are the Adam Program?"

Adam was silent, gazing upon the dark eyes of this woman.

"It such a shame you have to be a little boy. Why does Umbrella have to target youngsters?"

Adam quickly stretched his hand in the direction of the woman with an open palm. The wheelchair suddenly flew towards her direction very fast. She stepped aside and stick to the wall which made the wheelchair missed. It crashed to the wall at the other end of the white hallway. She resumed back to her aim on the boy whose arm was still raised.

"One more move and I'll have to shoot you."

Adam was still silent. Ada noticed his eyes turned scarlet red and his skin turned a bit grayish which stunned her for half a second. Her gun suddenly broke apart in an instant. It left her hand shaking uncontrollably. Blood burst out of her hands making small cuts on it up to her wrist. Her blood was dripping on the floor as if something had cut her from the inside. She was moaning in pain and looked to the boy again. His arm was still raised. It gave a gentle push and she was sent backwards and was thrown to the ground. The boy finally put down his arm and turned back. He entered the door and turned to her once more. His face was really serious. The door finally closed, leaving Ada there. She stood up and looked to her hand. The blood was gone and it was okay as if nothing happened to it. The gun was still whole and was on the floor in front of her. She was still in the same position she first confronted the boy as if she didn't move at all. The wheelchair was still in front of the door, still in one piece.

"It was all an illusion." she whispered to herself.

Caleb woke up because of Miko who just woke up also. The sun was already out and the van isn't moving. Carlos was at the driver's seat. Everyone was awake now. Ashley gave the two some snacks for breakfast and they ate it without hesitation.

"We were waiting for you to wake up since you will be the one to show the way." Carlos said to Caleb.

"I'm sorry I just woke up."

"It's alright, we better kept going. Where is it anyway?"

"We'll be the in a few more minutes. We are already close actually."

"Okay." Carlos replied. He started the engine and the van moved on the road. They noticed that the trees on the way were already dead and had already withered. They knew it must have been the cause of the infection. They continued on the way until there were no more trees. It looked more like a wasteland and there was no living thing on it. The road finally parted in two ways and there was a left turn. The road signs had fallen down from its original position.

"Take the left turn." Caleb said.

It led them down to a subdivision. Small houses were still intact but most were already in ruins. There were some of them that were roaming around, probably in an empty stomach. Miko, Ashley and Thomas gazed upon them with a horrified look on their faces. But the other four were calm since they were used to their presence already. They had already reached the other end of the small subdivision which leads to another unknown road.

"We're almost there." Caleb announced.

The road continued on and went up a hill. A small house finally came into view. All were in awe in what they saw. The house was surrounded with a very tall fence made of metal. Bodies were scattered near it as crows were eating on them. The fence was probably run with electricity so none of them would enter inside the area. There was a gate at the middle of the fence. Probably it was the only way inside. The house itself was well barricaded and the windows were covered with metal materials. It was like a house that was turned into a small bunker. They noticed a sign at the side of the road which states "Steve's Shooting Range."

"We're here." Caleb said loud enough for everyone in the van to hear.

"I think there are still survivors inside. But how are we going to get pass those crows?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, one wrong move and they are going to feast on our bodies." Jill interrupted.

"I have an idea." Caleb suggested. "I'm an Umbrella experiment. I'll try to tap to my power and start a large fire like what I did to the man who took Max's wallet. We'll just have to let them hear a gunshot to lure them to the sky. Then I will start a fire."

"But the last time you did it, you passed out because your body didn't take it." Alice contradicted. "I'll try to tap into mine also and magnify it."

"Okay."

"I'll make the gunshot." Carlos volunteered.

Alice and Caleb got out of the van and closed the door. Carlos extended his arm out through the window with a gun in hand. He aimed it towards the sky and was ready to pull the trigger.

"Are you ready guys?" Carlos asked.

"Yes." Alice and Caleb said in unison.

Carlos pulled the trigger and the gunshot was heard loud and clear. The crows heard and flapped their wings as they flew to the sky. They searched for the source of disturbance and spotted the white van with two fresh meats outside it. Carlos pulled in his hand inside and closed the windows.

"Are you ready?" Alice asked Caleb.

Caleb was silent and thought hard. He was trying to remember the monster he saw that was inside of him. He finally tapped into his mind and saw him standing in front of him. His wings were as dark as the crows. His scarlet eyes were staring at him.

"Lend me your power."

"I thought you would stop me? Now you are begging in front of me for my abilities." he said confidently.

"I order you to lend me your power. I am your master and you are just sharing your body with me. Apparently, I am the owner."

"You still own most of your humanity. But as I grow, you will grow insane for power. Time will tell boy."

"Shut up!" he shouted back. "If I die now, so will you."

"I know that boy." he said, being so full of himself. His wings stretched out and flapped. He flew towards Caleb and stretched out his hands. Caleb didn't move or show no resistance at all. He was grabbed at his forehead and felt the power surged through him. It felt good and it kept coming until it finally came to a stop.

Caleb opened his eyes which were now scarlet red. Alice wasn't looking at him so she didn't notice. He was looking at the flock of birds that were charging at them. Suddenly, one of them bursts into flame and it grew exponentially. It absorbed almost all the space and the birds were like being pulled into it. In a matter of seconds, the entire flock was gone but the fire went on. His eyes turned black to its icy blue and the fire had already lessened. It shrunk until it was gone. Alice was breathing hard while Caleb had no reaction at all as if nothing had happened. The two went back inside the van.

"Wow, you didn't pass out anymore." Jill complimented.

"Yeah." Caleb replied.

"Look!" Carlos said.

A person came out of the house. He was still well and alive. He looked upward to the sky that was now filled with smoke. He strolled out with a shotgun in hand and stared to the van. He was walking nearby the fence and inspected the dead bodies. He kept looking at the van. He had a puzzled look on his face since crows should have been eating the dead bodies.

"That's Uncle Steve! He's still alive!" Caleb shouted. He suddenly opened the door and came out. He waved to the man from the far distance. The man was startled to see the boy.

"Uncle Steve!" Caleb shouted to him.

"Caleb?!" he shouted back. He ran back inside the house. Suddenly, the gate of the fence opened up for them. He appeared again at the door. "Get inside!" he shouted.

Caleb got inside the van. Carlos knew what to do and drove the van inside the fence. The man went back inside the house and the gate closed again. The boy ran to him as fast as he could to the man who appeared again on the doorway. They hugged together and were sharing the same happiness. They're glad to see each other alive.

The others stepped out of the van but were not moving far from it. The two were still on smiles but were broken apart when the man noticed the others outside. He seemed to be around 25-30 years old. He had dark brown hair like Caleb's. He looks a bit like him also and shares the same traits like him.

"Where are your parents?" he asked the boy.

"I was in school when the infection happened so-"

"I understand." he said with a sad look on his face. "Every one of you should get inside."

The others followed his orders and got in. No one was inside the house and seems he was now living alone. They noticed that the house was ready and there were firearms almost everywhere. It was well stocked with ammunition, enough to make a small war.

"Excuse me sir, but are you living here all alone?" Jill asked.

"Yes."

"Do you want to come with us? We are heading eastward since those areas have not been infected yet. Caleb suggested we should visit this place so we could get some ammunition and supplies for our travel. If only we have another vehicle we should be able to make a convoy. We have a higher chance of survival there. We also need to train some from our group to be able to handle firearms. We could use this shooting range for practice." Alice began explaining.

The man looked down and thought if he should go or not. "I'll come with you. I'm not going to survive here anyway since those things are out there and I'm running low on supplies. I have a moving truck behind the house. We should be able to put all of our supplies there. But before we should move out, we must put armor on our vehicles."

Suddenly, a bell rang violently in the house that caught their attention.


	14. Preparations

Chapter 14

Preparations

Ada was left standing there in front of the door, still stunned. She heard voices echoing through the walls of the building. She kept silent and reached the gun just a few inches before her feet. She crouched and held it in her hand, aiming and ready to fire. She started to move in a semi-crouched position as she strolled down on the hall. The noises were still present and were now approaching her. She knew she would be caught in a matter of seconds. Luckily she spotted a door along the way. She approached it to check if it is unlocked and it is so she was able to enter the room. There was no one there and the room was full of computers. She must have entered a room were they kept most of the files. She locked the door behind her and checked the room to make sure no one was there. She sat in front of one of the PCs.

"Bingo." she muttered under her breath.

She took out a small device and plugged it in the computer. She had a set of commands on the computer. She was now downloading most of the files that she can get to. Some had passwords and it took some of her time to find a way and hack the system. The downloading was about to be completed when the door was unlocked from the outside. She pressed to monitor switch and rolled under on of the desks where she could hide safely. She spotted an entrance to the ventilation system and decided to escape through there. Two armed men got inside and were now searching the room. She was well hidden so none of the two noticed.

"Download Complete." a voice said from the speakers. The two were now suspicious and approached one of the PCs. Ada showed herself with a gun aiming directly at there heads. She shot them and their body fell down. She approached the door and locked it again. She pushed one of the desks in front of the door and grabbed the small device she took out a while ago. She pushed the other desks in front of the entrance of the ventilation system. She got in and was able to make her escape outside the facility which was an abandoned mansion deep in a forest.

Her vehicle was well hidden in the woods. She was able to make her way out of the mansion and was now in the woods. It was quiet like when she made her entrance. Her vehicle was still there. She removed the camouflage colored covers and put it inside. She started the engine and the rest went on smoothly and got out of the area. She took out her phone and dialed a series of numbers.

[Hello there.] She began.

[Were you able to finish your mission?]

[No, I wasn't able to eliminate the Adam Program of the Genesis Project because it's too strong for a normal human to handle. It's very strong and I'm sure it had a lot of tricks under its sleeve.]

[You know it will be vital for us if it wasn't destroyed!]

[Don't worry. I was able to steal some data from the facility.]

[That wasn't the assignment I gave you.]

[I cannot kill that thing! That's why I tried to do something in exchange for that.]

[I'll let you pass this time Ada, but you should soon make a plan that would be able to kill the thing.]

[Yes sir.]

Ada hid her phone again. There was already quite a large distance between her and the facility and was relaxed now from the incident of meeting up with Adam.

Suddenly there was an explosion in the facility. One-fourth of the mansion was blown off. A young preteen on a motorcycle came out of the fire. He was unharmed as if nothing happened to him. The speed of the motorcycle was very fast as it drove through the road. He overtook a red vehicle and got passed it. The motorcycle's speed had reached its max and headed east.

"Alice." he muttered under his breath.

Ada saw the teen that just got pass her. She stepped on it and tried to run after him but was futile. She couldn't keep up and the motorcycle was out of her view in a matter of seconds.

"This is bad." she whispered to herself and gasped afterwards.

The bell violently rang in the house. The Steve is the only who looked relaxed. Alice thought that it must have been an alarm which states that there is an enemy nearby.

"I'm sorry." Steve began. He walked over to the switch on the wall and pressed it. The ringing on the bell stopped. "It means that electricity runs through those wired fence again. It is just necessary precautions."

Another disturbance caught their attention. The phone inside Jill's pocket rang. She took it out to read the message. "It's from LJ."

"What did he said?" Alice asked.

"He said that they're already in New York. It means that's our next target place."

"The eastern part of America is still safe from the infection." Steve interrupted.

"Then we'll go there after we are done with our preparations." Carlos finally finished up the sentence.

"The only thing we'll do is to transfer all of our supplies from the van to the truck. Then we put up 'armor' on the vehicles. It should be enough for us to take off." Steve began.

"Including us?" Caleb asked.

"I have other plans for you little man. You teach those three how to handle guns while the adults do the transferring and stuff."

"Ok." Caleb replied. "Is your shooting range still alive?"

"Of course!"

The four minors got to the shooting range while the four adults went to see the truck. Steve parked it in front of the house where they could easily transfer the supplies from the van to the truck. The four of them started transferring the supplies.

Caleb led them to a room where he had practiced his skills when he was still a child. Caleb approached to one of the mechanism and started arranging the distance of their targets. He put it to about five meters first. He approached a chest where his Uncle kept most of his pistols. He grabbed three pistols inside it and gave them to the other three kids.

"This is how you should aim." Caleb said, teaching them how the stance would look like. His right hand was holding the gun and his left hand as a support. He aimed for the target's head and fired. The bullet went through since the target was only made out of thick cartons. The bullet hit the concrete wall at the other end of the room. He gave them their guns and got to their stations.

Miko was the first one to fire. He almost hit the head just by a few centimeters above.

"Damn! That was so close!" he exclaimed happily.

Two gunshots were heard from Ashley and Thomas. Ashley was able to hit the chest of the target. It was shaped like a man so one could really tell what the hit. Thomas missed also by a few inches above the head.

"Ashley, hit their heads, it is their only weak spot. Hitting their body will only leave the, stunned." Caleb said, giving her some advice.

"I'll try." the blond girl replied.

A series of gunshots were heard now. Caleb noticed that Miko was the first one who got a head shot that had hit straight on the target's head. Next was Thomas then Ashley. Caleb was observing them and giving advice. The three learned quickly as Caleb approached on of the mechanisms again. He turned the wheel and a new set of targets popped out. They were about eight meters away this time.

"Let's see some improvements this time." Caleb announced to them.

They reloaded their guns with a new clip filled with bullets. They were getting good at it little by little. Angie got inside the room also and was watching them shoot their targets. Caleb approached her.

"How come Alice never talked about what happened back in Los Angeles?"

"Actually she did."

"What?!"

"You were sleeping that time when she explained what happened to us."

"So what happened?"

"I heard a helicopter hovering above the house when Alice ran inside the room and grabbed me. The place exploded but we were safe inside a force-field Alice created. We ran through the woods behind the house and got on the highway. We stole a car and droved our way to San Francisco. There we found those three hiding inside one of the buildings." Angie said pointing on the kids who were still trying so hard after finishing her explanation. The heads of the targets were now filled again with holes.

"Thanks." Caleb said. He approached again the mechanism and a new set of target popped out again. It was about fifteen meters this time. Then he got out of the room. No one seems to hit their target this time for a while.

He got in front of the house. The four of them were done transferring the supplies. They are now putting some metal scraps they could find behind the house on the vehicles' glass windows. It is to prevent the glass windows from being and shattered. The also tried to put some blades on the sides of the wheels just in case they'll need it. Caleb looks at them and approached them.

"How are the others doing?" Alice asked him.

"They're fine. They're learning fast, especially Miko."

"It might have been his talent."

"I guess so." he said, finishing up their conversation. He got inside the house again and looked at the three. They were still trying to shoot their targets' heads. Miko had only three shots while the other two only had two.

"Whew! It's hard to shoot when they're really far." Miko exclaimed.

"We'll that's why were' practicing, right?" Thomas reacted, sounding a little more mature.

Caleb approached them. "How old are you three anyway?"

"I'm almost twelve." Miko said.

"Fourteen." coming from Thomas.

"I'm already eighteen." Ashley said.

"Then you know how to drive?" Caleb asked.

"Yes."

"You can rest for a bit. It's always wise to take the ones near you than the ones afar. Always conserve ammunition too. We only have limited amount now and they are almost finished."

The five of them got out of the room. Caleb stayed in the living room for a while. The place was really nostalgic for him since he hasn't visited the place for a year now. And this is the last time he's going to be here.

He got out of the house and walked to the back of it. The four kids were trying to help on the adults. He was there alone at the back. A little time to have reflection was present.

"If they practice, so should I"

He spotted a rock in a size of his fist. He tried to tap to his inner powers to make the object levitate. He was inside his head again, the monster was there too. He tried to control him with his mind but it resisted.

"You think you could control me?"

"Of course I do." he said confidently

"I am growing and so shall your need for my power."

"It is a need." He thought of something else to make his presence go away and concentrate more.

"There are some horrifying things in this world that we imagine they do not exist at all." his voice echoing in his head.

He didn't listen to it and got consumed by acquiring some useful ability to help others. He was still there, forming inside his mind.

"Who are you?"

"I am Icarus." it said and flew towards Caleb. But before it could reach the boy, it vanished in front of him.

"You still have a weakness."

"So are you." his voice was still there. He could feel some of its power surging in him. He opened his eyes and saw rocks floating in front of him. There were several of them.

"Wow!" Miko exclaimed who was behind him, making him drop all the levitating rocks. Caleb looked at him and smiled.

"Are you some kind of superhero?" the boy asked.

"No."

"Then how come you have powers?"

"I was experimented by Umbrella Corporation. It made me a freak and even though I have powers because of them. I still hate them and I'll try to stop them."

"But they are the good guys. They gave you your powers."

"They are also the reason why those monsters exist. They are the ones destroyed Raccoon City."

Their conversation was cut when Thomas appeared and approached them.

"Hey Thomas! He has powers that were given to him by Umbrella!" the little boy happily exclaimed.

"So you are the Icarus Project am I right?"

Caleb eyes widened when Thomas knew who he was. Caleb quickly drew his gun from his holster and aimed it at the older boy. "You're from Umbrella aren't you? How do you know such thing?"

Thomas was nervous since the gun was aimed directly at his head. "My mom is from Umbrella but I have no intention of turning you against them. My mom was also used like a lab rat and died at their hands. I really hate them."

Caleb put down his guns. "Then how did you know about me?

"I read it on one of my mom's files. She was a scientist in a facility near San Francisco. That is why we lived there because her work was there. We knew she died the day before the infection of T-Virus had reached the city."

"What's T-Virus?" Miko asked.

"It will turn you into that." Caleb explained as he pointed to a dead body outside the fence.

"We haven't recovered our mom's files" Thomas continued. "We want to know about the truth but all of her documents were inside the facility."

Carlos appeared at the back door of the house. "We're leaving, quick get inside the vehicles."

The three of them followed his orders and got in front of the house. Steve was going to drive the truck and he was with Jill. Caleb got inside the van followed by the others. Angie was seating in the front row with Ashley. Thomas was alone at the back. Alice moved beside the driver's seat. Carlos was driving this time.

"Did any of you leave anything?"

"When can we acquire our own guns like Caleb?"

"You're right." Carlos got out of the van and talked to Steve who was inside the truck. He got behind the van and got a bag. He went back and got inside the van. He threw the bag to Caleb.

"You know what to do."

Caleb opened the bag and there were guns and magazines in it. He took three and gave Thomas, Miko and Ashley respectively. He took two clips for each person and gave them those too. There were holsters inside the bag too. He gave one each and strapped them to their thighs.

"We're good to go!" Caleb shouted to Carlos.

Steve got outside of the truck again and into the house. He pressed the switch for the gate and it opened. Carlos stepped on the pedal and drove out of the house. Steve got inside the truck again and followed them.

They were back on the road again. Caleb was bored so he tried to look outside the window. It was already pass 3 in the afternoon. The sun was already preparing for its sunset in the far horizons. Caleb looked at Miko who was beside him. He seems to look excited at since he had already acquired his gun.

Everyone's attention was caught because of what Carlos said. "Look at that thing."

"That's the thing that had infected Matt!" Alice exclaimed.


	15. Friendly Foe

Chapter 15

Friendly Foe

Adam drove through the empty highways. He came across towns and villages that were either isolated or filled with those things. The only firearm he had is a handgun fixed with a small flashlight and six loaded magazines in his pocket. He was wearing a UBCS suit he found in the facility before he left. It didn't really fit him since he was small and was only at the height of a normal 12 year old kid. He was only able to use the motorcycle because he used his newfound psychic powers to start the engine from the inside. His mind was still blank ever since he knew everything about Alice. The only option now is to approach that person. He learned about the Umbrella's secrets by using Alice' memory to make an intelligent guess. He could only be used by it but will he really let himself be used? He knew Umbrella was after Alice, should he prove his usefulness to his creators by handing her to them? He was confused on what to do. Based on his abilities now, he knew nothing could stop him from obtaining her. But something was stirring inside of him. Thinking of Alice was giving him hope in trying to find answers.

He was well too absorbed by his thoughts he didn't realized that he was again going through a small village filled with those things. He didn't have any rest at all since last night and went through the roads non-stop. He can sense if any of the infected were nearby. There was one thing also that was getting the attention of his mind. He didn't who Caleb is and was still a big mystery to him.

The motorcycle he was using doesn't need fuel anymore since its energy being used by it was coming from him. His energy was continuously draining but it didn't affect him at all.

The roads had recently got bumpy that awake him from his thinking. The roads had crack all over and houses were in ruins. The place was possibly hit by an earthquake. He held on the handle more tightly but he hit a deep crack that was enough to make him crash. The momentum was enough to send him flying through the air. He fell on the hard road and rolled continuously on it. The motorcycle spun in mid-air and crashed. Some of its parts got disassembled from the main body. The metallic scraps were on the road and it look like it will be unusable anymore.

"Damn it!" he bragged. He was standing slowly because of the pain he suffered from the accident. It seems none of his bones were broken but some of his body parts were aching in pain. He looked around and noticed that some of them were approaching him with their slow movement. He drew out his gun and aimed for them. He shot one after the other, head were busting after another one. More of them were coming from his back. Their soft groans were heard all over. He was outnumbered by them and would be unwise to shoot them all and waste ammunition. He looked around for somewhere to escape. There was a two-story house across the road. It hasn't crashed down like the other houses he saw in the area. He ran towards it, shooting the ones on the way. Surprisingly, there was no infected inside the house. Could it be some one there?

More of them were coming towards him. They were all over the place and seem they come endlessly. He was already at the front door and turned its door knob. He pushed but it won't budge. There is something at the other side of the door that was blocking his way. There was no choice but to use his abilities. He held up his arm. With a gentle push, the ones on the front were sent flying to the air. They fell and he could hear a crack coming from their bones. He kept pushing them with an invisible force from his psychic abilities. He wanted to make a fire but there was no available vehicle he could use to get out of the area before the fire spread all over it. He was getting weak by the second and he could feel the after effects of his powers. He could pass out any time from its excessive and consecutive use.

He banged on the door. "If there is someone there, please open up, I'm not infected with the virus." he shouted. There was no response from the inside of the house. He still kept pushing them backwards. Some that flew back were standing up again and going after him. As a last resort he would use one of his most powerful abilities he had recently discovered. The last time he used it is to bust himself out of the facility. He pushed the crowd one last time with a little more exerted effort to buy himself little time. He knelt on the ground with one knee and held the ground. He over-charged it with his own energy. It crept under the horde and was continuously being charged at exponential rate. The door finally opened for him but he didn't notice. He finally made an invisible force field to shield himself from the coming explosion. With a snap of his finger, he would have blown them into bits. But he was dragged by someone else inside the house.

Carlos evaded the thing that was one the way. However, it jumped on the top of the truck that was following. The two vehicles stop in attempt to kill the creature.

"Shit!" Alice shouted. She got out of the car and drew out both of her pistols from its holsters on her leg. She rapidly shot the creature that was on top of the truck. Caleb made his move and opened the van's door. The creature ran towards Alice but she crouched to evade it, having merely a few centimeters above her head. Caleb finally stepped out of the van and shot at the creature that was a few meters away from them. Alice finished her reloading and turned to face again the creature that was running towards them. Caleb jumped inside the van while Alice jumped on the van. Caleb reloaded a new magazine while he was still inside. Miko moved to the back with Thomas and Caleb. Alice began shooting another barrage of bullets at the creature. Caleb opened the van's back door. The three of them shot at the creature that was now merely crawling from the consecutive shots. Carlos was out of the van too and moved to the back of the van with a shotgun in hand. He handed it to Caleb. "You may do the honors." he said with a smile.

He got the shotgun from Carlos and approached the crawling creature that was writhing in pain. Its tongue was swaying to him like a whip. Alice and Carlos were following him at his back just in case. Caleb aimed the shotgun at its head that was showing its brain tissues. He pulled the trigger and parts of its head scattered across the road. The blast from the shot almost removed Caleb's wrists out of its sockets. "This thing is really powerful." the boy complimented.

"Let's get back inside." Carlos finally said. Steve had already started the truck's engine. The three were walking towards the van when they heard Angie scream. Reanimated bodies were coming out of the woods that were on side of the road.

"Quick, run for it!" Alice shouted. "Steve! Jill! Move on! We'll catch up!"

Ashley, Miko and Thomas began shooting the ones that were approaching them. The truck got first while the three finally got inside the van. They closed the doors of the van as Carlos started the engines. They opened the windows and kept shooting the ones that getting near.

"This is a lot better than video games!" Miko complimented with an evil grin on his face.

"Yeah!" Thomas shouted back over the sounds of their gunshots.

The van finally caught up with the truck and was leading the road again.

"White Queen." Dr. Isaacs commanded in his office. The holographic girl appeared before him. "Is there any news on Project Alice?"

"Unfortunately, no. But there are some bad news. The Adam Program from the Genesis Project of Dr. Connors had escaped recently. There are also disturbances created within the nearby areas of Raccoon City, as well as a small village nearby San Francisco."

"Is there any traces of Project Alice from the disturbances?"

"There was none. The disturbances happened between within a small time gap."

"Were you able to observe it from our satellite?

"Yes." A screen appeared before him. There were two pictures that were taken. On the left was a picture of a house with a horde of infected ones swarming all over it. The other picture only shows a cloud of fire and there was nothing much to it.

"You mean none of these were done by Project Alice?"

"Yes." the girl responded. "I had already submitted these occurrences to Dr. Stanford and Dr. Connors."

Adam was pulled in the house by some unknown person. He fell on his back on the door. The person before him quickly closed the door and pushed a cabinet drawer before it to block the way. Adam was breathing heavily since he used his powers excessively. The ground outside was still charged and could blow up at the moment he snaps he fingers.

"You idiot! You got their attention and will get us killed!" the person before shouted Adam. He looked troubled and was walking back and forth. There was banging on the door. He drew out a gun out under his green jacket and aimed on the door. Adam stood up with a steady aim of his gun on the other person's head.

"Is there someone else here?" Adam finally asked the person. He had a wavy short black hair with light green eyes. The other person was taller than him so he had his gun raised higher than he expected.

"No. I have been surviving on the leftovers we had in this house." he said with a nervous face. "The supplies are running low so-"

Adam finally dropped his aim for the other person's head, followed by him. "What's you name?"

"Phillip." the boy answered. "And you are?"

"You can call me Adam. Do you want to get out of this place?"

"Of course."

"Do you have any vehicle we could use?"

"We have a car at the garage. But it doesn't have any fuel."

"It doesn't matter, give me the keys, we are getting out of here." he commanded the other person. The other one obeyed him and ran upstairs to get the keys. There were more banging on the door and some cracking sounds on the walls. They are completely surrounded outside. The other boy came running down with the keys in his hands.

"Follow me." he said. The two of them passed through the kitchen before finally getting themselves to the garage. There was red color car inside. The two of them heard more banging from the outside. "How are we going to get out?"

"I have powers, don't worry." Adam answered back as the two of them entered the vehicle. Phillip made an awkward face from what he heard. Adam put a force field around the vehicle as he kicked the engine to start. Phillip had his weird feeling inside though he cannot see it. He was not used since it was the first time he experienced being inside a force field after all. Adam look at the garage metal door as it flew backwards towards the group of infected.

Adam stepped on the pedal and drove them out of the garage. He snapped his fingers and there was a huge explosion. Phillip closed his eyes because he thought he might get caught in it. There was fire everywhere but Adam went on as if he could see the way. They managed to get out of the fire that was slowly spreading. He put of the shield and the two of hem went back on the road again. Phillip opened his eyes and was surprised they were okay.

"How did you do that?" he asked in amazement.

The van went on the road followed by the truck. The road was pretty much uneventful since there was nothing to see except the road that seemed endless. Hours passed by as the sun descends into the horizon. Alice looked to a map they had obtained from Steve's house.

"There is a nearby town ahead of us." she announced.

"Wouldn't you think it's a bad idea to stay in a town where we might see more of those things?" Carlos suggested.

"We could at least get ourselves more supplies. There is still a very big space inside the truck."

"Look!" Caleb interrupted them.


	16. Sanctuary

Chapter 16

Sanctuary

Everyone's attention was caught after Caleb shouted and pointed to a far direction in front of them. All of them looked forward with a puzzled look on their faces. It took a few seconds for them to see what Caleb was really pointing at exactly. There was a small down at a distance and there was nothing else to be seen. None of them had the same reaction like Caleb did.

"What's the matter?" Alice asked.

"Didn't you see it? There was a barrier around the town!"

"I didn't see it, my vision is clearer than a normal human."

"So am I."

"Are you sure? Maybe you are just seeing things."

Caleb was confused and sat back on his seat. He looked outside the window and looked at something else. There is not much to see as usual. The road was still uneventful since they saw the creature with the very long tongue a few kilometers away from his uncle's house. He was feeling a bit uneasy from what he saw a while ago. If there is really a barrier around the town, there might be a group of survivors there. His head was swaying back on forth, left to right as if someone was watching him. Miko kept staring at him since he wasn't looking comfortable. The sun was starting to go down as it readies itself for sunset. Thomas was examining his obtained handgun a while ago. Ashley and Angie were chatting about something but he didn't seem to bother to listen to them. Carlos and Alice were making plans for the future. Miko sat quietly beside them. Caleb stared at him. A few seconds later, Miko stared back at him since it was awkward.

"What?!" Miko asked him.

"Nothing, I thought you had dark brown eyes but it was a very dark shade of green."

"My eyes were always green since I was young. But it turned darker little by little as I grew up."

"I had a cousin with green eyes too. We were still young the last time I saw him. He probably doesn't remember me."

"My mom and dad divorced when I was young. I had a half-brother, and we didn't know."

"I'm sorry."

"The worst part is, we are passing through the town where they lived."

"What would you do if you saw him there?"

"That's impossible. They're probably dead."

"What will you do if you see him now?"

"I don't know. I'm mad at dad but I always wanted a brother."

"Me too."

"Why are you always kind to me even though it's not needed?"

"Hey, we are trying to survive now. What if I say I'm your half-brother?"

"Nah, that's impossible. He was almost two years older than me but you're not even a year older than I am. Plus, he had gray eyes."

"All of you better look at this." Alice announced as it caught everyone's attention. The ones who were chatting stopped and looked at her.

The view of the town can now be clearly seen. There were metal walls and it seemed that there were no proper entrances or exits except for the huge metal gates. There were hordes of undead scattered outside moving towards the door, trying to get inside. They were rallying near the wall but were only proven useless.

"How do we get inside?" Ashley asked them.

"It's impossible to get through those." Caleb pointed out. "He looked at the sight more thoroughly. On top of the wall, a head of a man appeared. He was holding a pair of binoculars and scanned the nearby area.

They people inside the van were planning what to do next but no one had an idea. He concentrated on the man on the wall. He was tapping again to his power and see if he could contact that person telepathically. It took him a few seconds to realize that the man was a soldier.

"Hello, can you here me?" Caleb asked.

"Who is this?" the man replied back with a rough voice.

"I'll have to answer that question later. Right now, can you see a van followed by truck from a distance?"

"Yes, I see it."

"That's us. Can you help us make our way in? We are not enemies, trust me. We are also survivors."

"Is anyone there infected?"

"No one is. You'll definitely hear a series of gunshots. You guys open the gate for us and defend the gate. We'll take care of the rest. Go and report what you saw. We are begging you."

"Yes sir!"

Their telepathic communication was stopped and his mind was back inside the van. Everyone was still trying to make a plan. Alice was getting ahead and they're planning to make a run through the horde as expected.

"I'm sure they are bound to open the gates if they see us coming." Caleb suggested.

"One gunshot is enough for us to obtain the attention of those things in front of the gate. We'll lure them to our position while the ones inside open the gates and make a way for us. Once there is a gap, we make a run for it. We won't get any ammunition from the truck because it will slow us down. So get as many headshots as possible and conserve your ammo. We have three extra bags full of handgun ammos at the back. All of us should get out of the van except for Carlos and Angie since she doesn't have her gun." Alice explained.

The van moved on the road that would lead to the gates. Everyone inside was as nervous as hell, except for the Raccoon City survivors. Caleb looked to the metal wall again. More soldiers were seen on the walls, readying themselves to open the gates. There were snipers along the walls. Some had explosives.

The wall is just at least two hundred meters away from them. The van stopped and so is the truck that was behind them. Alice got out and walked towards the truck. She explained the plan to Jill and Steve who were at the other vehicle. The other were readying their guns and getting extra ammunition from the bags at the back. Everyone was ready for another battle. Alice got back as soon as possible. She didn't enter the vehicle and opened the other door.

"Everyone get out now!" Alice announced. "This is the starting point."

Everyone gathered their all their guts and got out of the vehicle. Jill walked to her side. Their guns were out and set. They walked towards the gate. The vehicles were moving slowly along them. Angie was watching them from the window.

"Is everyone ready?" Alice asked them "As soon as there is a large space between them, get inside the van."

The six of them ran for the gate with the vehicles following them. Alice was the first one to shot. It echoed in the deafening silence that was there. All of them raised their guns as the creatures' heads turned against them. The gunshot seemed to get their attention. All of them turned their bodies and walked towards their direction. They were still at their slow pace but their numbers are threatening. The six of them stopped running and walked towards them this time, their guns raised. Consecutive gunshots were heard as body after body fell on the ground. Small objects were thrown from the inside of the wall. It exploded on impact and dead body parts flew through the air. Noises were heard everywhere. Crows flew up to the sky from the trees that were beside the road.

"Shit! More of them are coming out of the trees!" Thomas shouted.

Their attention that was focused on the front was divided. Carlos and Steve were now shooting also from the vehicles. They slowly being surrounded as more grenades were thrown outside. The front gates were slowly being opened.

"Two people better support the back." Alice shouted, her voice trying to stand up against the noises.

"We're on it!" Caleb shouted back. "Come one Miko!"

The two of them ran to the back of the truck, shooting the ones that were nearing onto them. The two were already at the back but there were more that were trying to push against the truck. They shot their heads, making splattering noises all over. The truck slowly moved as they towards the gate. People from the military were coming out the gate, making an open way for them to come in.

Caleb and Miko were still shooting the ones nearing them. They were almost there, barely fifty meters away from the metal gates. The marines were covering for them.

"Get inside!" they could here Steve shouted enough for them to hear. The two of them moved to the front and got inside. They got in and made sure the door was shut. The truck accelerated and they finally got inside the gates. They were safe now, for the meantime.

The huge metal doors finally closed for its safety purposes. A woman in a military uniform approached the truck. The van was the same likewise but it was rather a man. Steve opened the windows but the metal screen was still blocking them at least.

"We'll have to move you to a quarantined area so that if ever the virus infected you, it spread inside the town."

"Yes Ma'am." Steve replied to her.

"Please follow the van in front of you."

She stepped away the truck and saluted to them. The van finaly moved and followed another vehicle that was in front of it. It was like they had a tour around town. The military had covered up the outskirt of town and its citizens were safely protected at the heart of it. They were still far from its center but they there was still a turn of road since they must move to a quarantined area.

Caleb looked around and he was glad since he could see normal people again besides them. They mostly wear military outfit. A few minutes of riding through most of the outer areas of town, they finally stopped. A man approached them.

"Please step out immediately."

The three of them got out of the truck. The ones in the van also got out.

"We'll have to inspect your vehicles. Please get inside the building for the meantime. Our comrades will escort you there." he pointed to a man from the other side of the road. He began to approach them and showed them the way.

"Food supplies and ammunitions are the only things inside." Steve replied to the first soldier.

"We'll take care of it."

They got inside the building. The nine of them were all together again in the same room. Another man entered inside the room. Based from his clothing, it seems that he had a higher rank from the ones they saw so far.

"We are you going to put all of you inside a cell for two days. I think you know why. We'll see if who among you will turn to one of those creatures outside. We were supposed to put a single person inside a cell but it seems that we are short on one. Two of you have to stay together inside one= room." his rough voice announced at them, showing that he had power over the area.

"Miko and I will stay together in a room." Caleb volunteered first.

"Very well." the man said "Follow me."

A man on the side approached the group.

"We'll have to take your weapons." he said and opened the bag. Each on of them slid their handguns inside the bag. They continued on their way and followed the man.

He led them downstairs where there were a lot of rooms. The place was silent and noises were coming from the inside of the rooms. Guards were placed and were roaming around the place.

"You are not the only people that were quarantined. There are also others that got inside the town before you."

"What happens to the ones that turned to them?" Alice asked.

"We'll have to kill them."

"And the ones who were not infected?"

"We gave them a place to live in."

"Here is your room the two of you." the man said, referring to Miko and Caleb. He opened the door and the two got in. As soon as they got in, the door was locked for safety.

The room wasn't spacious nor was it small. It was just enough for the two of them. There was a table with two chairs. There was also bed big enough for the two of them to fit. There is a door beside it. Caleb approached it and opened the door. It was the comfort room. There was a sink, a bowl and a space where they could take a shower. Miko sat on the comfy bed and lay on his back where he could relax. Caleb got out of the comfort room.

"There isn't much to do huh?" Caleb first spoke.

"Yeah. What can we do then?"

"At least we could talk to each other. The others were alone and they would have to talk for themselves."

"I remembered you mentioned something about a cousin. What was his name?"

"Hmm… I know his name was Jordan, that's all I know." Miko's eyes widened as he heard the name Jordan.

"My real name was Jordan, but mom called me Miko since Jordan was also the name of dad."

"Then you mother would be, Aunt Julie?"

"Yes!"

"You mean you're my cousin?!"


	17. Hidden Connections

Chapter 17

Hidden Connections

Adam and Phillip were still on the road. Nothing to be found except the same signs of undead that took over many cities and towns. They have to fight through hordes of them. Adam had already taught Phillip how to handle a gun and the two of them have been helping each other for the last few days. Phillip had his own handgun now and had a respect for Adam. Adam on the other hand had no hesitation in using his abilities.

"Where are we heading." Phillip asked Adam. Both of them were inside their car, moving from town to town within hours.

"We are heading east."

"How do you know we should?"

"I was program to have some connections to Umbrella satellites like the White Queen does. I manage to secretly tap my mind to its data without being noticed."

"What's the White Queen?"

"It is an artificial intelligence made by Umbrella."

"Do you have any other information?"

"I won't say it anymore."

"Fine."

"All I can say now is we should head east. There is still a town there where we could be safe for the meantime." he finally said finishing their conversation.

Phillip only looked at the window. "Besides, Alice is there." Adam whispered to himself without Phillip noticing.

The door opened with its whooshing sounds again. It led two men to a white hallway that they would frequently see in the facility. The two of them walked in a very fast pace. They had reached the other end of the hallway in a matter of seconds. They entered another door that opened in their presence.

The room was filled with different computers and sophisticated technology with different employees attending each one of them. The room was filled with noises from beeping sounds and from the scientists themselves.

"Have you tracked down Adam?" the man from the door spoke with such power.

"No sir, we cannot detect him exactly. It seems he has been constantly moving for the past few days. But we have found some evidences we could conclude that Adam was there." one of the attendants responded with fear from his superior.

"That's not enough!"

"It seems that they are heading east."

"We better place our men to every city that still exist this on damn country." he said, going back to his calm voice. "Is there any news on Dr. Stanford?"

"I heard he had some major mutation but we are not really sure that it is true." on of the attendants replied to his question.

"It seems he had miscalculated the amounts of T-Virus he had to take to complete his Project."

"That fool, his own actions would lead him to his own demise." Connors said. "We need to work faster gentlemen! Eve wouldn't wake up without the presence of Adam. Therefore, we could not complete our Genesis Project."

The two boys in the room were in shock that they were really cousin. No one was talking and both of them fell in silence. Miko looked away from Caleb since he wasn't sure how to feel.

"Looks like it." he first spoke.

"What should I call you then?" Caleb asked him.

"Anything you want."

"Jordan is your real name so I would prefer to call you that way. The others would probably call you that way too."

"I guess your right"

"I think you're not satisfied when we call you Miko anyways."

"No I'm not!"

"I wonder if we will be able to see your brother here."

"I will only care for him if dad is already dead."

"That's a bit sarcastic."

"I wonder if we will be staying here for a very long time."

"I doubt. The supplies are limited plus the virus could still spread inside the town since they cannot handle the crows."

"You're right. Those crows are really a pest."

Caleb wasn't listening to Jordan anymore. He knew there is something wrong. Something was approaching but he couldn't tell what. He felt something is going to come to their place.

"Wait!" he said to Jordan. He tried to tap again to his inner abilities an try it on Alice. He was establishing a connection between their two individual minds but something was on the way. He tried to call for her through his minds and the blockage was fading away.

"Alice, it's me Caleb. Can you feel it?" he thought.

"Yes." she said using also her mind.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure it is tied to Umbrella."

"No human can do that."

Caleb was shot back to his own mind. Someone knocked on the door and it opened. A soldier came inside their room. He inspected them as if they were suspicious people. Caleb noticed he was the soldier he talked to.

"I recognize your voice." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"You're the one that talked to me telepathically."

"I did?" Caleb said, trying to hide the truth.

"You mean you're not the one?"

"That looks like it."

"But I swear that is also the voice I heard from my head a while ago."

"Voices are inside your head?"

"Never mind kiddo." he finally said. He got outside the room and locked it again. It seems that he was confused.

"So that is why they know we are coming."

"Yeah."

Caleb felt the feeling no more. It was gone but he knew something was still bound to happen. The two of them heard that another door had opened from the next door. They laid their ears on the wall and tried to listen to their conversation. It seems that Jill was the one next door and someone was interrogating her. Caleb heard the word S.T.A.R.S. and remembered that Carlos and Jill must be questioned by the authority on the Umbrella scandal. And since the outbreak had scattered across the country, they cannot deny it anymore.

The two of them quickly got away from the wall since someone was opening the lock again. A soldier left two trays of food and it seems that dinner was served. The door was locked again. Caleb looked at the small window that was high above on the wall. There wasn't much sunlight anymore. Hours must have already passed in now and it's getting dark. The two of them ate all their food and lay on the bed. They felt more comfortable now since they knew they had connections to each other in the past. Caleb knew he has someone to care for once again.

"It's been hell of a day." he said before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"Wake up Phillip!" Adam was pushing Phillips who was asleep and was leaning against the car's window. He woke up instantly and was able to take a look at the things before them. "We're here"

The metal gates were before them. A horde of undead was pushing against it. Some were already dead and were lying on the floor. The sun had already begun to set down the horizon and it was getting dark also. Adam took out both of his pistols. One was acquired from their previous ventures in other towns.

"We'll be safe once we get pass that wall. Military had taken over the place and build a sanctuary."

Phillip took out one of his pistols. The other one was still in its holster, waiting to be used. Magazines were under his jackets. Adam was wearing a UBCS uniform so he wasn't really going to have a hard time reloading himself.

"Just keep firing at them. The military would open the door for us."

The two of them got out of the car and walked towards the gates. No undead could notice them since there was still no gunshot. Adam won't be using his explosive abilities since he would only be questioned by the military.

Adam shot first directly at the back of the head of one of them. Their attention was already captured as they were already heading towards them. The crows rose up to the air from the disturbance of silence. Soldier heads' were showing up above the wall because of the commotion. They took out their sniper rifles and began to aid them.

Phillip finally took out his other pistol from its holster. The two of them fired up barrages of bullets against the enemy. Every time Adam has to reload, he uses on his abilities. Blood was bursting out from the undead bodies like what he did to Ada but it was real this time. It would only look to the military as gunshots. More of them came out from the woods again. They were surrounded but the two of them were enough to mow down hordes of them. Phillip knew some moves of self defense and it would be easy for him to snap the necks of those who would come near him.

The gates were open as they made a run for it. Killing the ones on their path and nailing bullets through the heads of those who are already dead. They left their car outside since they would have no use for it anymore.

"I'm out of ammo!" Phillip shouted. They were still a hundred meters away from the gate. Adam was out too but he was only using his abilities that would look like gunshots since he was pointing his guns on them.

Phillip was using the butt of his gun to the ones that was near enough but he was having a hard time. Adam was just looking after him. He was slowly being weakened since he was using his abilities again continuously. His eyes were slowly being drifted downward and were also getting drowsy by the after effects of his abilities.

Soldiers finally came out of the gate to aid them Adam stopped the usage and was trying to recover. They made a run for it and finally got inside. The two of them were approached by soldiers and asked them also to move to a quarantined area. They got inside a vehicle that would lead them there. Adam was silent as the night and was exhausted. Phillip knew the reason and kept his mouth shut. He knew his friend needs medical attention but he also knew he could quickly recover from that state.

"Caleb! Wake up!" Jordan was shaking him. Caleb woke up and could see the sun's light coming out from the small window.

"What is it?"

"We're going out now!" Jordan said, pointing towards the door that was wide open. Caleb got up and the two of them ran outside. The group was complete and they were confronting the man who they had called "Major.'

"Your 48 hours of confinement in this quarantined area is done. Since no one from had turned to undead, you will be freed. We will give you a place to live. Besides, we will need more room since a pair of survivors has also made it alive. The two of them are heading here now." he explained to them.

A soldier approached them and gave them a bag which contains their guns that were confiscated before. They were led back to the main entrance with the keys of their vehicles back in their hands.

"We're sorry since we have to take half of your supplies since it will be used by the military, both food and ammunition." the soldier spoke.

Everyone was silent and no one seemed to bother to object. They finally got to the main entrance and got themselves out. A car stopped in front of them and its doors opened. A soldier and two boys got out. It was Adam and Phillip but no one seemed to bother except for Adam. He was looking at Alice directly to the eyes. Alice was clueless who he is and proceeded on her way. This left Adam stunned for a few seconds, still staring at her. A soldier led them inside.

"Alice." Adam whispered to himself.

The gang got to the parking lot to retrieve the van only. All of them got inside and left he truck since the military would probably need it. Steve gave the keys to the soldier that escorted them.

"Follow me." the soldier said and walked towards a car. He got inside and started its engine. Carlos did likewise since he was driving again this time.

The car led them out of the area and into the town. It was filled with people everywhere. Soldiers were also scattered around town since they were handling the place.

They stopped in front of a two story house complete with a small garden around it. They parked the vehicle and got outside. The soldier gave them the keys to the house.

"The Major wants you to be comfortable in this house. You were tried to exploit the truth behind the Raccoon City incident but the government didn't said the truth. You tried to show us a warning but we didn't listen. Now the truth cannot be held back." the soldier said. He got inside the car and left them.

The gang got inside the house except for Caleb and Jordan. Caleb didn't left Jordan's side but Jordan didn't left his position either. He was looking at the neighborhood. He looked around some more and turned his head only to find a Frisbee flying towards him but Caleb caught it instead. Another kid ran up to them but Jordan's eyes widened as he looked on the boy.

"Max?!" he said with a puzzled look.


	18. Brothers

Chapter 18

Brothers

Adam was in his cell, sitting on the ledge of the comfortable bed. His target was in range and he couldn't take his mind off her. He was well convinced that he made it somehow since Phillip was a bit use to him. He knew he wasn't the social one, but still, there was Phillip, someone to lean on. The two of them were separated but he knew that their rooms were beside each other even though he was the first one to enter. He looked to the wall opposite of him and closed his eyes. He was trying to establish a connection between their minds.

"Phillip, can you hear me?"

"Wow, I never knew you were telepathic." Phillip replied in his mind in a sarcastic way.

"She's here."

"Who is?"

"Alice."

Caleb was confused since Jordan mentioned his name. However, there was a stern look on Jordan's face while his was covered with confusion. He automatically gave the Frisbee back to the boy who was in front of them. He grabbed it from his hands with eyes still locked on Jordan. His face was still innocent as Caleb looked to his gray eyes which he thought was blue. He suddenly remembered what Jordan mentioned from their talking inside the quarantined room. Suddenly, Caleb's eyes widened as Jordan's close fist furiously hit the other boy's face who fell down.

"What the fuck was that for?!" the boy shouted at Jordan.

Jordan didn't answer at all. Caleb was too shock to respond to what happened between the two. His eyes slowly moved from the boy to Jordan. His eyes were getting wet and tears rolled down his cheeks. He was crying but he didn't look sad at all. He was satisfied at what he did and even had a sly smile on his face. He wiped his tears from his face and ran inside the house.

"I'm sorry he did that." Caleb said, looking at the other boy again. He stretched out his arm to help him.

"He shouldn't be." the other boy said who was already standing in front of Caleb. Caleb had a puzzled face, wondering why.

"How come?" Caleb asked.

"It's none of your business." the kid replied but Caleb didn't had any negative thought. He knew there was a hidden history between them.

"How rude of me, I'm Caleb."

"Max." then the two shook hands.

"Where do you love then?" Caleb asked. The boy raised his arm and pointed to house which was a few houses away. "Were you already living here before?"

"Yup." he happily exclaimed. Jordan's punch didn't seem to damage his face at all, although there was a reddish mark where Jordan's fist had landed.

"I guess I should go inside first."

"See you around."

Caleb ran inside the house. Everyone seemed to be satisfied to the house since it was quite big. It was already filled with supplies so they didn't have to remove the ones inside the van. The living room was quite big and most of them were their. Jill and Alice walked down the stairs.

"There are only three rooms and a bathroom upstairs." Alice began explaining. "Jill and I will occupy one. Angie and Ashley will be together. The three boys will occupy the biggest one since there are three beds there. Carlos and Steve will be sleeping here at the living room." Alice gave a wink to Carlos who sitting on the sofa.

Alice had already stopped explaining and did something else. Caleb went out of the living roomed and scanned the house. The kitchen and Dining room were pretty big too. There was also another bathroom at the first floor. He stayed at the dining room for a while and noticed something else. There was a door behind the refrigerator. He pushed it aside little by little. It was pretty hard since he only had a small body, aside from the powers he had. He was able to push it within a minute. The door was pretty well hidden since its color blended with the wall.

He pushed the door as it swung open with a creaky sound. There was a wooden stair that leads down. He took out his gun and ready to aim. He stepped on the stair and walked down. It seems he was looking at some old basement. It was very silent and somehow creepy. His heart was pounding hard as his aim swept across the dark before him. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark. A few meters away, he noticed switches on the wall. He approached it with haste and flicked it on.

The room was filled with light. The room was really small and he noticed a path leading to somewhere else. He walked through the corridor and finally met the other end. There was a metal door on the wall. He kicked the door as the metallic echo bounced through the solid walls of the corridor. The room was already lit up. His eyes widened and quickly ran upstairs. He directly went to the living room where the others were resting. Everyone looked at him since he was sweating hard.

"You better look what I found!" he announced.

He ran back to the kitchen where the adults had followed him. He led them to the basement and back to the room he had found. The room was filled with guns but most of them weren't ordinary.

"Look's like the Major really owe us big time." Carlos said, breaking the silence.

The room was filled with glass cases on the walls. Guns and ammunition were found almost everywhere. The room was quite big as rows of glass cases filled with guns occupied most of the space. They scanned the area and it seems that guns and ammos were the only thing to be seen. Caleb was the first one to walk to the end of the room. There was a glass case there that contained only pistols. He knew it wasn't a normal one, although its exterior design really was convincing. He opened the glass case and held one of the pistols that was with a pair. He inspected it thoroughly and it really seems normal except for a small umbrella logo above the trigger. Rage filled him as he stared blankly to the pistol. He ejected the magazine inside and found something not normal. He took out one of the bullets and inspected it. It was made of silver and the middle part of the bullet was made of glass. There was a silverfish fluid inside it and made him wondered. The guns on this casing seemed normal but it was specially engineered to fire a specialized bullet. He put the pistol back on the case and got another one. He inspected the magazine again and saw a difference. The bullets were really smaller than normal and were made out of a glass material. The same fluid was inside it. He counted the bullets inside and there were 30 bullets inside the magazine.

"You can have that if you want." Alice was behind him. It made Caleb jumped as Alice only chuckle. The boy breathed hard since he didn't expect that.

"These guns here aren't normal you know. They are equipped with specialized bullets." Caleb explained in his calm voice. "This for example has 30 bullets inside which carry some silvery fluid."

Alice grabbed the gun in the boy's hands and ejected the magazine. She took out a bullet and inspected it thoroughly. "I thought its Silver Nitrate but I think its mercury."

"Why?"

"When the bullet is fired, there is heat. The glass breaks inside the target's body and ejects the liquid. Mercury expands when there is too much heat so the mercury will travel through the target's bloodstream. The mercury will damage the brain once it has reached it. It acts like venom for short. It means that this gun is engineered to give out intense heat and suddenly lowers its temperature within a split second. It's really unbelievable. Also, the bullet is really small. I can say that the next bullet will already eject the liquid before it cools down so I guess it would fire two or three bullets every time you pull the trigger."

"I see, I guess that Umbrella is trying to kill its own creations."

"Huh?"

Caleb stretched out his hand and pointed to the Umbrella logo that was on the gun. Alice eyes widened as she looked at it. She put back the gun to the glass case and closed it. "We'll have to leave that for the meantime."

The two of them gathered up with the ones inside the room and got back to the living room. Only the adults and Caleb were there. Everyone seems to be upstairs.

"We'll have to approach the Major tomorrow morning. The guns we found below are owned by Umbrella. There is a logo on it." Alice began explaining.

"I noticed that too." said Jill.

"Caleb, you better go upstairs. The adults will handle this." Steve said to his nephew.

Caleb followed his uncle's order without hesitation. He somehow felt tired already even though he just slept before leaving the quarantined room. He noticed it was already dark. He thought that planning about it would rather be a bit boring. He entered the room where he was supposed to stay at. Thomas and Jordan were already inside. Thomas was on the bed, staring blankly to the ceiling. Jordan was on the bed hid his face under the pillow. He was a bit ashamed of what he did to Max a while ago. Caleb sat on the bed that wasn't occupied. He removed his shoes and his socks and finally nestled on the bed. He was lying on his back and stared on Jordan. He knew he wasn't asleep as he was giving out whimpering noises. It made Caleb feel uneasy since Caleb really cared for Jordan like a brother ever since they met.

"Hey Miko!" Caleb called out to him using the name his mother had always called him.

Jordan turned to him, revealing his bloodshot eyes. It seems he had been crying for a while. His face was a bit red. Caleb stood up and approached the boy. He sat beside his bed. Their faces were inches across each other. Thomas looked at them for a while and resumed back looking at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" he whispered. "Is Max your half-brother?"

Jordan only nodded. Caleb knew that if Max was still alive, so is his dad who abandoned them. He wasn't expecting Jordan's reaction for the time. He didn't know what to say to comfort him.

"He said you shouldn't be sorry that you hit him. It really left him a mark on the face." Caleb said and gave a small chuckle. Jordan smiled on the other hand at least. "How did you know it was him?"

"I saw him with dad in a mall a year ago. I knew it was him when he approached us."

"I guess I'll have to talk to him tomorrow."

"Suit yourself." Jordan said and turned around. His back was facing Caleb now. He went back to his bed and drifted off to sleep.

He was inside the room again with his other self. They weren't staring each other. Caleb was curled up like a ball into one of the corners. The other was standing in front of him, staring at him.

"You should have crushed Max's Frisbee. That should have made Jordan feel better."

Caleb didn't have any reaction. He only raised his head and looked at the red scarlet eyes of his own demon.

"I'm Icarus, so 'they' called Me." he finally said. "I still don't know my purpose but I know you would need my powers."

"I want to know how to get rid of you." Caleb furiously answered back.

"You won't want that. There is someone out there who is more powerful than us-namely Alice and me. Didn't you feel it?"

"I did but, who was that?"

"I still don't know but I know he is nearby."

"Why are you so kind to me now?" Caleb shot back, changing the topic.

"I simply need you. I cannot summon myself to reality without your full acknowledgement. I could save your ass if I need to since your life is my life also. You are the host and I will take advantage of that."

Caleb only lowered his head. His mind was occupied by Jordan's problem that kind of bothered him too. He was already ignoring whatever Icarus was talking about as his mind was drifted of somewhere else. He knew also that Icarus had proven that he is useful in the most critical situations. He just somehow needed to find a way to keep him under his control. He'll need a threat and he knew it would involve his own death.

The large metallic gates open as a red car got inside. It stopped and opened the window. Ada was inside and one of the soldiers approached her.

"Where is the quarantined area?" she asked.

"That way madam." the soldier replied with a surprised look since she knew what was their necessary precaution. She looked forward to see a vehicle before her car. The two vehicles arrived in front of the building within a few minutes. Ada stepped out of her car. Her gun was slid in its holster and her red dress hung down.

"Where is Major Robinsons?" she asked with a bit of a pride.

"What is it?" a man behind her spoke. Ada turned around to see who it was that spoke behind her. "Agent Ada!" the Major exclaimed in a surprise.

"Apparently, one of your 'prisoners' is a project of the Umbrella Corporation. You know that I have to _kill_ it."


	19. Confrontations

Chapter 19

Confrontations

Adam was awoken by some sort of intuition. He sat on his bed and scanned the room to see if there is nothing unusual. He tried to scan Phillip's mind but it seems he was asleep. He looked to the window and saw the darkness on the other side. He could only see the nightlights that were scattered randomly in the darkness. There is still more than a day before they could get out. If they make an escape, they would get themselves thrown out of the city or killed. But there is something there that was bothering his instincts. He knew it was danger and he needed some kind of getaway. He stood up and approached the door that was on the other side. He gently placed his ear on it and tried to hear the things outside. There were faint steps and the noise was growing louder. More of them were coming and this time in a fast pace. He removed his head and walked backwards. He could definitely hear the footsteps even in a meter away from the door.

The sounds stopped in front of his door. There were noises signifying that the door is being opened. It finally swung open and saw the woman in red in front of him. Ada raised her gun and aimed it at her target.

Jordan eyes opened and sat up on his bed. He looked around and it seems that the other two boys were asleep. He looked out the window and it was still dark. He stood up and got outside the room. He gently closed the door behind him and hoped he didn't disturb anyone.

He walked through the hallways and there were sounds coming from the first floor. He walked as silently as he could and stopped at the top of the stairs where he viewed a part of the living room where Carlos and Steve stay. He could hear the two men were snoring and asleep. He walked back to his room and opened the door. To his surprise, Caleb was awake and was sitting on the ledge of his bed.

"Hey, you better get to sleep." Caleb told him.

"I something is keeping me awake."

"What, the one that happened yesterday?"

"No, there is something else. I don't even now what it is."

"Something about?"

"I don't really now. It's just there for some reason." he said, holding his head with both of his hands.

"Come on, you should at least try."

"Fine." he said, walking back to his bed and laid down. A few minutes later, he fell asleep.

Phillip was awoken by a gunshot. His eyes opened immediately and stood up. Several consecutive gunshots were heard outside. He ran to door and kept banging it. It swung open and Adam entered the room. He was holding a TMP with his hands. He gave a pistol to Phillip.

"We'll make a run for it."

"What the fuck is happening there?!" he asked.

"My assassin is here."

He grabbed Phillip's hand and the two ran outside. They walked to the stairs that leads upward. Phillip saw the bloodstained walls and dead bodies on the ground. There were pools of blood on the floor which they avoided. They passed Adam's room and there was a woman in red inside. She was slowly standing up and seems that her body wasn't bleeding. They reached the end of the hallway that leads to the stairs.

"Quick, you go first!" Adam ordered him. He ran up the cemented stairs where there was a soldier that suddenly appeared. He aimed at the soldier randomly and kept firing. The soldier was as good as dead and fell down. As soon as the body fell on the floor, several gunshots were heard downstairs and he heard Adam who was writhing in pain. He looked back and saw Adam who was following him. Four bullets landed on his right arm and one under his ribs on the right.

"Let's go!" He raised his left arm and stretched it. Phillip looked at the direction and saw the Major covered in blood. Most of his boned were fractured and were coming out of his flesh. He was already on the ground with a pool of blood under him. The two of them only walked over him. They killed the soldiers that were on the way. Adam used his powers most of the time to avoid getting caught since the gunshot would give away their direction. They finally got to the rear exit of the building. Phillip swung open the door and there were bushes in the area. They hid behind one and waited for the soldiers to appear at the door.

One by one, the soldiers got out and search in directions. But it seems that Adam's powers were concealing them perfectly like they were in some sort of invisible area. As soon as coast is clear, Adam groaned in pain as Phillip looked at the wounds on his arm. Bullets were pushed outside of his body and he could see his flesh was slowly regenerating.

Caleb opened his eyes and saw the piercing sunlight that was lighting up the middle of the room. He sat on the ledge and looked at his companions. It seems that Thomas was the only one asleep. He got out of the room and walked down the stairs. Everyone except Thomas was awake. Most of them were in the dining room, eating their breakfast Ashley had made. Caleb sat beside Jordan and had himself a bowl of cereal.

"Did you get sleep last night." he asked the younger boy.

"I did but I woke up early instead." he said before standing because he had just finished his breakfast. He got out of the room and Alice approached him.

"We are going to meet with major regarding on the things we saw under this house. No adult will be left. You will be in charge for the meantime."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Can Ashley take my place?"

"Don't you want be in charge."

"Nope."

"Fine, I guess Ashley will be in charge when we are gone. Actually we were waiting for you to wake up. And since you're awake, we are going to leave now."

"Take care." the boy said before Alice left the room.

As soon as he finished his food, he left the room and went to the basement. The door was already clearly seen since the refrigerator was already moved. He was back again in the room where the guns are kept. He went to the 'pistol' and examined it again. He put it back and looked at the other guns that were also displayed. The guns at the last row were the only ones that were specialized. The others were normal guns already. The handgun he had was still the one that Ada had given him. There was nothing much to do so he went back upstairs and went to the living room. Thomas was already awake and was watching TV with Jordan. He sat on the sofa and watched some cartoons recorded on some CDs. But got bored within a minute and sighed. He looked at Jordan and it seems that he had just taken a bath. He was wearing a short-sleeve cotton jacket and a blue long-sleeve shirt underneath. He was also wearing black khaki shorts and his rubber shoes.

"I'm gonna take a bath for a while." Caleb announced. He got up and went upstairs.

Jordan got bored and went outside for a walk. It was early in the morning and there wasn't much to see. No one was outside and the van wasn't there anymore since Alice and the others went and talked to the major. The morning breeze crept up to him as he shivered. It was pretty cold for that day even though the sun was high in the sky. He looked up at the sky and saw something else. There were black birds that were roaming around. He knew that they were crows. He looked around more and noticed a flock of them flying around in an area. Soon, he heard gunshots from the area and his eyes widened. Something bad is going to happen and he knew it.

"Oh no." he gasped and ran back to the house. "Caleb!!"

Alice stepped down the vehicle as she approached the building where they were held. To her surprise, there were a lot of soldiers in the area.

"What the hell happened here?" Jill asked.

"I don't know, but we better talk to the Major pronto."

The four of them entered the entrance of the building. Most of the soldiers stared at them but they still continued. A person halted their walking by stepping in front of them.

"I believe you cannot proceed anymore further." he announced.

Alice gave him a sharp look but it didn't have any effect on the person who was staring coldly at them.

"What happened here?" she asked in her calm voice.

"Major Robinsons was brutally killed last night."

"By whom?" her tone was getting more serious. Everyone had shocked faces on them.

"He was killed by one of the people that was quarantined here. Two of them escaped last night. I believe you were able to confront them since they were the ones that were put here yesrerday afternoon."

"The two of them looked like youngsters."

"They made a hole?" Jill asked.

"No, they used the doors from the inside of course. They made their way through the rear exit of the building."

"Right into it." Jill said to herself. "It means that you were the ones who carelessly opened the door since it could only be opened outside. There were no locks to pick from the inside, even the comfort room."

"It means you are going to do something to them since you opened the door at the middle of the night." Carlos butted in.

"What is it then?" Alice asked.

"I believe no information should be said furthermore."

"If I were there, I'm lucky to be alive." Steve said with a chuckle.

"Someone did survived and managed to land five bullets on her attacker – Ada Wong."

"Five bullets? That is bit fatal for a normal person to handle." Alice said to herself. "Where is she?"

"She currently recovering in a medical facility nearby since she was injured."

The door swung open and a soldier got inside. "Lieutenant Marcus, this is urgent! A flock of crows attacked the east part of the city. Undead will emerge within a few hours."

"What?! Quick, tell our men to move out. Those crows should be disposed immediately."

"Can we help?" Alice offered.

"Sure, just stay alive."

"You shouldn't" said by a female voice behind them. "You better pack your things immediately if you want to survive."

"Ada." Marcus gasped.

The other four turned to see who it was. The woman was wearing a red dress and had bandages on her left arm and head. Her right eye was covered with bandages also. Her gun was shown on her right thigh with pride. She looked on Alice who was clueless who she was.

"Project Alice." Ada muttered to herself.


	20. Infiltration

Chapter 20

Infiltration

"Caleb!" Jordan shouted as loud as he could. He was still at the front door when Caleb was disturbed by it in the bathroom of the second floor. He almost slipped on the slippery bathroom floor.

"What?!" Caleb shouted back. He opened the bathroom door since he was already done although he still hasn't put his shirt on. He saw Jordan was panting with both of his hands on his knees. Jordan didn't give out any reply at all. He was still catching his breath after running for what he had seen outside. He was very sure that the virus would have contaminated the whole city within a few hours time. Caleb stared straightly at the boy for being disrupted on what he is doing. A towel wrapped around his waist was the only thing that he was wearing.

It took a minute for Jordan to catch his breath. His breathing slowed and took a deep breath. Caleb was still confused and was a bit frustrated. "Is it something important?" he asked himself. Jordan could have waited for him.

"Crows are attacking the city!" Jordan burst out. Caleb stood there shocked. It took a few seconds for his bad news to sink in. Caleb knew that it wasn't any kind of good news at all.

"Wait for a moment. Tell Ashley to tell everyone to get ready." he said with an unsure voice. He is trying to calm himself down. He was sure that the undead will rise within a few hours. He closed the door in front of him and started to put on his clothes.

Jordan quickly ran downstairs to find Thomas, Angie and Ashley on the couch, watching television. Thomas was the only one to turn his head. "Hey Ashley, I've got something to say." Ashley turned her head. "What?" she said crankily.

Jordan was already at the last step. "We have to get ready!"

"Why?"

"What the hell is going on?" Thomas burst out.

"The city is under attack by crows. Those things will soon come out in a matter of hours."

"The Military will be able to handle it." Thomas said confidently. His voice was sure but his weren't. "What's their purpose for if they cannot save their own citizens."

"It's nearby! We have to get going."

Ashley stood up and ran outside. The other three were on her tail and they saw the crows from a distance. They looked at it carefully and it seems that the swarm was pretty large. Gunshots were being heard from that area. The Military was trying to hold them off.

"Do you think this place will be infected." said by a soft voice behind them. The four of turned their heads around to see. A blond haired girl was behind them. Jordan was surprised to see Max at her side. The girl was about fifteen and her eyes were still gazing upon the crows.

Caleb just got out of the house slipping the pistol under his jacket. Max eyes widen as he saw this. "Dude, I know this is a free country but guns aren't fitted for your age." Caleb looked at him immediately. He still walked to the others while staring at him. He smiled but Max was already looking at the crows.

Suddenly there was an explosion. Black smoke from the area erupted and rose to upward. The flock of crows scattered throughout. A small group of crows were headed their way fast.

"Oh shit!" Caleb exclaimed. "Get inside all of you! Quick!"

All of them ran inside. Worried looks were seen on everyone. "Thomas Jordan and Ashley take out your guns." Caleb shouted at them. "Everyone! Get to the basement. Jordan and Thomas and I will stay here!"

Everyone obeyed and ran to the basement. "Give them something to use." he ordered Ashley. He was becoming more of a leader. The three boys had their guns taken out. The glasses shattered as the crows flew inside. Caleb kept firing at the small group and barely missed. There were six of them that dropped on the floor.

"Do we have to save him?" Jordan's angry thought echoed through Caleb's head.

"I'll be damned if get bitten by those." Thomas exclaimed.

"You better not." Caleb replied. "We'll have to wait here for Alice and the others."

Max came out of the door with a gun held in his hand. He scanned for his surrounding and saw the dead crows on the floor. Max stared at him with rage but didn't care.

"I'm going outside. You three wait here." Caleb announced.

He slowly walked over the dead bodies of the crows. He walked passed through the doorway after opening the wooden door. He could hear the other people screaming for help which were coming from the insides of the other houses. His gun was still raised and he kept in check to see if there are any crows around. There were a few on the post that was staring at him. More were seen on the other posts and coming out from the inside of the houses with blood on their beaks.

"Shit, this isn't good." he exclaimed to himself. He took a step backwards and planned to go back to the others. But before he could take another step, the crows flapped their wings and soared directly to him.

"Caleb!" Jordan's voice was heard from his back. He looked back instinctively and saw a gun flew to him. Jordan threw it as it hurled its way to Caleb's hand/ He got hold of it and looked back to the crows that were a few meters away from him. He raised both of the guns and started firing. A barrage of bullets rained down on the group of crows. None of the bullets that were fired missed. The crows fell and crashed down on the ground. There were no signs of life except for the undead.

He closed the door and gave the pistol back to Jordan. The two went back to Thomas and Max who were waiting for them. Their eyes looked to be more alert of their surroundings now.

"More of them will come out within an hour." Caleb announced to the three. "They will be larger ones. Let's just hope the others would come back immediately. Let's get back to the basement."

The four of them climbed down the stairs and closed the door leading to the basement. Caleb was the last one. The others were just at the bottom of the stairs. No one went further to the room filled with weapons.

"We'll just wait for the others, it's the least we could do for now." Caleb began. He looked to everyone in the room.

"What the hell happened?" the blond girl asked.

"Who are you first?" Jordan was the one who replied, sounding a little angry. His eyes locked on the other two.

"I'm Nikki, and this is my brother Max." she replied with confidence still on her face. Her chin was still raised up high despite of what happened for the past few minutes. She had the same gray eyes like her brother and her confidence would always remind you that she is probably smarter than you. Her posture was as confident as her face expressions. "We still have another brother at home named Lyle."

"What the hell." Jordan exclaimed looking on the ground with anger written on his face. He hated Max since he was his half brother. And it seems that he had connection with Nikki too. Max looked at him with disgust for such reactions. "They're probably dead by now. We saw those crows entered the house too."

"What the fuck is wrong with you huh?" Max burst out. Everyone on the roomed had widened eyes and was locked on the two. Caleb could feel the anger building up inside Jordan as he clenched his fist. "Just because I'm your half-brother doesn't mean you have to be a bullshit to me all the time!"

"Half-brother?!" Nikki exclaimed. The referring of being a half-brother only made Jordan's anger grow. To Jordan, it was more of an insult. "I never knew about that."

"Stop it, this isn't helping anyone!" Caleb yelled at them.

"Yeah Jordan, you better shut the hell up!" Max provoked.

Jordan clenched his fist and ran towards Max, preparing to give him another punch. But Nikki quickly stood before her brother with a stance that could have been martial arts. She hit Jordan's chest with the palm of her hand which sent him flying backwards. Caleb caught Jordan before he could hit the wall. He grabbed hold of Jordan's arms to prevent him from attacking Max.

"Leave him be, he's looking for a fight." Max told

"Shut up or I'll shoot you myself!" Caleb shot back. "You better stop provoking him."

Max backed out a little. Caleb still tried to restrain the boy. He loosened up after Jordan calmed down. His eyes wear teary enough for the tears to roll down his cheeks. He ran upstairs as fast as he could.

"Jordan, stop!" Caleb shouted but the boy didn't even hesitate to understand what Caleb was saying. The next thing is that they heard gunshots.

"Oh crap!" Caleb exclaimed. "Jordan!"

"We better get ourselves ready to evacuate." Ada offered the operation to the Lieutenant. "It will be hard to oppose those things when there are a lot people that are vulnerable to their attacks."

"Who are you order the Lieutenant like that?" Jill asked her with a very demanding voice. She looked at Ada directly to the eyes. But she can't read Ada's motives. Her eyes were so cold but at the same time innocent.

"I am just worried about what could happen to the people!' she answered back.

"And we are going back to the house to tell the kids to get ready." Alice told Jill. Her voice was very convincing. Jill looked at Alice and remembered that they left the kids alone at the house. "We're going here some other time to ask about something else."

"There are kids?" Ada thought to herself. "Caleb was with them so it means that he's with them. There is no doubt about it. This could also be my chance."

Alice and the other three already start moving out. There footsteps were pretty noisy as it echoed through the silent hallways of the building. They got outside and saw that the military were readying themselves for another fight. But before they could get near to the van, "Stop!" Ada's voice called out to the four of them. She followed them but got stunned by a view from a distance. She raised her hand and pointed to the horizon. The others instinctively follow the direction on what she's looking at. There were flocks of crows that were flying above a large area at the far distance. Black smoke was also present and was rising high in a large quantity.

"That's where Caleb and the others are!" Steve exclaimed. He truly cares for his nephew and would do anything to protect him. He was the only known family left. But little did he know what Caleb's true capabilities are. He looked at the horizon and tried to calm himself down but he couldn't he got worried too much. He started running hastily towards the van. "Quick! Let's go! We should make it in time!" The others followed him in an instant.

"Caleb?! So he is really with them. It's a part of my mission. I must not fail it. I _must_ do it no matter what!" Ada thought to herself in the second they ran for the van. "Wait! I'm coming with you."

Alice halted and turned back. She looked at Ada with a serious face on her as if she had just insulted her. Ada was there not saying anything but she knew that the woman in red would say something. Her instincts tell her that this woman should not be trusted at all. There is something to her that she doesn't know, like ordering the lieutenant with power.

"No you're not coming with them!" a man's voice told her. She turned back to look and so did Alice. It was Marcus. He had already removed his cap and his black hair covered most of his forehead.

"Lieutenant Marcus!" Ada and Alice exclaimed in unison. However, Alice's tone of voice was more of a questioning. She gazed her eyes upon the man's face. It reflected a part of his cold personality. His yes were unmoving as it looked at Ada as if it has seen its prey.

"That's Major Marcus now. I have been appointed by the general to govern this district. Alice you may go back to the house. I know what you want to ask. I will go there myself to explain it to you." Alice nodded to him and ran towards the van. The van left in a great haste. "Ada, will you do a favor for me?"

Five men dressed in black slowly crept over the bushes. They were fully armed and ready to pull up a fight. Their guns pointed there way behind the thick bushes as they approached their target like a tiger that uses its environment to hunt its prey. The leader gave a variety of hand signals which only they could understand. The five of them split up and took different routes in different directions.

The leader took out his radio and put the right frequency on it. It gave out a buzzing sound and went silent as he hit the button beside it. "This is Echo-one, infiltration has been completed, proceeding to Phase 2."

"Copy that."

Echo-one put back his radio on his vest and turned it off. He crawled through the grass and raised his head a bit to see his surroundings. There were dozens of crows that nestled on the electric lines. None of them seem to notice his team's movement. He took out another thin device which shows a small map of the area. There were 5 different blinking lights with different assigned colors to represent them. The other four were on the move towards their target. He placed it on his left forearm to easily access his teammates' positions. He got up and walked slowly and as silently as possible towards the wall. He climbed up and went to the other side. There was another house on the other side. The back door was freely opened. He let go of his high caliber rifle and placed it at his back. It was hanged properly by the strap across his body. He took out his pistol with his right hand from his holster on his thigh a knife at his left. He assumed the proper position and walked slowly walked towards it. There were dead bodies on the floor. Crows were inside the house and began to fly towards him. He fired consecutively and accurately like they were really trained for. One got too close to him. He used the knife held by his left hand to slash through the crow's neck. Suddenly one of the dead bodies move and rose.

He looked at the mapping on his left forearm. Echo-two was the closest to him. He quickly placed his finger and tapped the device on his ear. It was radio which connects him to the others. "This is Echo-one. Hold your positions. Echo-two, I need back-up pronto!" The dead body near his feet suddenly moved and grabbed his feet. "Oh shit!"

The van stopped in front of the house. The four of them quickly ran inside. They walked over the dead crows that landed at the front door. Carlos opened the door and they got inside. They looked around and no one was there to see. There bloodstains on the wall which made Steve worry more. He looked around to see more dead crows on the floor. The windows were covered with anything the children could find.

"Is anyone here?!" Jill shouted. Suddenly the door leading to the basement opened. It was Max but they didn't know who it was.

"Quick!" he exclaimed. His voice was really worried as if he would cry any seconds now. He gazed at them carefully analyzing if they are allies. But his instinct to tell them something pushed through. "Caleb and Jordan got bitten by the crows!"

"What?!" Alice and Steve cried out in unison.

Echo-one and Echo-two had just finished clearing the house. They were fine and were still in perfect condition. No one was bitten as they scanned to house for more of them. Suddenly, their radio buzzed in. "This is Echo-four, unknown people has arrived on the scene. They were inside a white van and just got inside the house."

Echo-one's eyes widened for the bad news. He quickly tapped the button on his ear. "Roger that. Proceed to Phase 4 of our back-up plan _immediately_!"


	21. Crisis

Chapter 21

Crisis

Steve was the first one who rushed from his placed. He quickly ran and got passed through Max and over the dead crows on the floor. The others followed and locked the door to the basement. Max was pretty confused why the Steve was the first one to react in a different manner. He walked down the stairs to see what the others reactions will be.

Steve found Caleb and Jordan beside each other. They were sitting on the floor with their backs against the walls and their feet extending outward making a V-shape. Both were looking down on the floor and Steve could see their pain painted on their faces. Jordan had tears rolling down his cheeks. Caleb was still staring on the floor. There were blood all over their arms and his black leather jacket on his lap. There were holes found on it and it was almost torn apart. His arms were still bleeding. Jordan has the same wounds as Caleb. He was the first to look at him. His eyes were glistening with tears as it swept through the others behind him. He saw Max but he didn't care any more. His anger had already faded away but it was replaced by pain that was scorching his arms. The damn crows flew towards him and started pecking through his flesh before he could have ever drawn his gun. Caleb got behind with a gun in his hands and started shooting down the crows. He tried to reach for his own but the pain on his arms kept him from doing it. He fell back and the crows' attention got to Caleb and attacked him instead. There were too many and Caleb wasn't able to handle it. It was too late and he was blaming himself for what happened.

Steve started to approach his nephew who looked up to him. His eyes widened to see the others again. He was happy but couldn't even smile because pain was enveloping him. He tried to move but was only futile and the pain kept holding him back. Steve sat down in front of him as they looked eye-to-eye.

"Caleb Hawkins!" Caleb was surprised to hear someone mentioning his surname again. He didn't give a damn twitch but he new that he felt something good kept stirring inside him. Steve placed both of his hands on Caleb's shoulders to reassure him that he was still there. The bad aura of the aura of the cold room had somewhat lifted up and vanished in the thin air. "It's not yet your time boy. I could feel it very well. Don't give up." Caleb felt encouraged to what his uncle said.

Steve eyes swayed and moved to his wounds on his arm. The blood already dried up on his arms. The wound turned black. But this one he was sure was not normal. He knew that once that someone got bitten by the infected ones, it will turn into one of those in a matter of hours. And he considered Caleb to dead now. Back before they found him, he tried everything to know behind the horrific event. He knew about the T-Virus and that was slowly climbing through his veins until it completely shuts down the brain. His eyes moved some more and found Caleb's gun behind him. He reached for it and released the magazine. There were three bullets inside and he put it back inside. He cocked the gun and aimed it at Caleb's head. Tears were flowing through the man's face.

"I figured this might be more noble than for you to die on its hands."

"No!" Alice cried out. However, it was too late; Steve had already pulled the trigger.

BANG!

[This is Echo-three, I just heard a gunshot. I am about seven meters away from the front door. I repeat there is a gun shot.] Echo-three announced to his teammates through his radio.

The announcement echoed through Echo-one's head. The gun shot was probably caused by what they are after. It was pretty unexpected. He was thinking through all of it once again, organizing his thoughts and compiling them for a new plan. It was all unexpected but they have to adapt to certain circumstances to fulfill their mission. And they were trained for that. He turned to Echo-2 who was behind him. "I'll give you _five_ minutes to go back to our _site_ and exchange your current weapon with any long range weapon you choose. You will be our rifleman for the meantime since you have the highest accuracy." He turned on his radio again. [Everyone, there is a change of plans. Echo-two will serve as our rifleman. But he will be 'inactive' for five minutes. Echo-three, approach from the back. Echo-four, clear the house in east of the house in front of our target. Echo-five and I will storm the front. Ace, get your ass there and put a breach charge at the door. At my signal, blow it up. That'll be the signal for them to come out what hit them. We'll throw a flash bang before we kill them all. Everyone, keep your heads up. We won't let the Alpha team take over and get all our glory. We'll make sure we'll go back to the commander with good news. Everyone, all out.]

Echo-three was still at his position near the house. And now he has to reposition himself for a new game plan. But there was a mistake at Echo-one's announcement. He mentioned his real name and he was not supposed to say that since it might cause something else. "Christ! Damn it Chris!" he thought to himself. He got down and started to crawl towards the back of the house. He glimpsed through the windows and there was no movement inside. He looked at his surroundings and seems that the crows on the electric lines look at him with interest and hunger. "Oh crap! This isn't good."

Adam and Phillips were already resting in a house nearby the scene. However they had no idea what was happening. They had just got inside the house after the attack of the crows. The house was filled with them so they have to clear it first. They locked themselves in and waited at the second floor window. They peek out from time to time.

"You think there might still be survivors out there?" Phillips asked.

"Probably, I just heard gunshots over and over again. The military might be fending them off. And later on they would have to check this house and we have to move to another location again." Adam replied while peeking through a door. His eyes were sweeping through the silent neighborhood. But he saw something that intrigued him more. There was a man in a black suit climbed over a quite tall fence. It seems that he has experience on it and he was armed like a military. "What the hell did I just saw?"

Phillips looked at him, questioning what he just saw. "What was it?"

"There's already military in the area, I think we have to move."

Alice pulled the gun from Steve's hands but the trigger was still pulled, leaving a bullet hole on the wall. Caleb's eyes were shut as tight as he was prepared for the gunshot. But he let it loose for a while before opening his eyes.

"What the fuck was that for?! Killing your own nephew?!" Alice shot at Steve, who was still there, motionless. How stupid could he be?

"This so absurd don't you know? He just risked his life to save someone and got hurt! And is that your solution to end it?!"

Steve was still motionless. He realized that it was not yet over. There was still a slight possibility. And if it is possible, it _could_ happen. He stood up and looked to Alice who was filled with anger. She was right that it would only be meaningless. And it he would have done mercy killing for no reason. He had lost all his hope to find a cure. He walked beside Jordan and sat down. Then it came rushing down in his mind like a thunder. He realized in his previous researches and conversations with people who has ties to Umbrella that the virus has a cure. There was still hope; it was all his mind could hear for the moment.

Alice walked towards Caleb. The others behind them had already sat down. They were randomly place in a group. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Caleb replied. With that reply, Alice was happy and sat down beside Carlos.

Caleb was back in his own mind. He was actually trying to make a connection to Icarus. He could always ask for his help. But after a lot of attempts, he wasn't responding in his mind. Was the situation really hopeless? It wouldn't be the end is it?

Jordan looked at the man beside him. He was still silent. But after a few seconds of staring at him, he finally spoke.

"You are Caleb's cousin right" the boy only nodded. "I presume you are Jordan Murray."

"No, mom and dad got divorced." Jordan replied. The pain was puncturing though his nerves some more. But he tried to reply to the man. He was somehow proud to say that his father betrayed his mother and had another woman.

"I see. Then your name now would be Jordan Bennett." The boy only nodded again, ignoring the pain on his arms. Steve let out a sigh and went silent again. Everyone in the room was chatting with someone else except for the three of them. A few minutes seem to last for hours for them. Jordan was already getting dizzy. He has not idea why and he was feeling nauseous. The room was swirling before him. His feeling getting a bit hungry that he was already staring to salivate. His arms were already shaking and he knew that he was going to be unconscious soon. He tried to open his eyes one last time and looked at Caleb who was still beside him. Nothing seems to bother him and he wasn't showing the same signs he was exhibiting. Steve looked at Jordan again to see the boy drooling.

"You're getting a little pale boy." Steve said. Some heard what Steve was saying that it made them look at them. Jordan was really pale and was somehow giving a soft moan.

"Ca-leb…"

Ada and Marcus was still inside the facility. Marcus was still assessing the paper works. Ada on the other hand was looking out the window. She was looking at the distance where the crows were now gone. She looked back and forth from Marcus to the distance outside. She couldn't help it. She was worried about Caleb but for another reason. She was the one supposed to do it, not _them_.

"When can I leave?" Ada asked Marcus who was still checking the paper works. There were too many for him. He had been busy since he was appointed to be the Major.

"As soon as I'm done with this. I'll assure you that we are going there personally." Marcus answered without looking at her. He too was worried but he couldn't tell what it was. He was trying to finish the paper works as soon as possible. Everything was rushed since there were no communications between the existing cities. The whole US had already collapsed under the hands of the Virus. There was still time to 'deliver' the survivors to the other countries where it was still safe for the meantime.

There was a continuous knock on the door. It seems that it was urgent but he didn't mind. It later turned on to banging after a few seconds. Ada and Marcus' attention was already caught. Neither spoke a word. And the knocking had stopped. "Come in!" Major Marcus had ordered and his voice a little higher with the sound of dismay.

The door opened and came out a woman with brown hair. It was long but was hidden under her cap. Her hazel eyes fixed upon Marcus who was still doing something. Her looks were really serious. Her eyes show most of her determination in her. Her posture was showing some of her pride. It was erect and could see her effective training in the military. She saluted to the Major without a change in her face. Ada scanned her like an object of interest. She smiled but no word came out.

"Lieutenant Rachelle Deveaux reporting!"

"What is it?" asked Marcus without any look. He had cut him but the other side showed no reaction. She had shown respect for the Major since he was a big help for her to rise in the rankings. She truly trusted Marcus and would help him in every way she could. She would only hesitate if there is a flaw in his plans. She was a perfectionist in fact and would do so to herself. Most of her works and missions were flawless. But Marcus was too busy now to help her move up. He too show respect for her.

"We have a bad news Major Marcus Oliver, another party had interfered with our plans to-" Marcus raised his hand in fear of Ada knowing their iuntentions. Deveaux stopped without any hesitations. He stopped writing down his signature and stop for a moment to think. "_Major Marcus Oliver_, now there's a first." he thought to himself. But the thought of another party was a big problem indeed.

"Contact Lieutenant Crawford. Form a squad of six and wait. I'll brief you your mission in a few minutes. You may leave."

Rachelle saluted again, showing her great respect and honor for the man before her. She turned her back and did what she was supposed to do. She closed the door behind her and walked towards the main door in a fast pace. She stopped outside and looked around. There were tents inside the area. There were dozens of them containing fellow soldiers, weapons, and supply items. "Where the hell is Neo?" she thought to herself.

Ada was surprised that Marcus made a quick decision to make a small squadron. If there is another involved, he should have formed a greater number but instead, it left her thinking. "It must have been something important is it?" she asked Oliver who were already compiling the papers.

"You can say that." he said, taking off his cap. His dark hair dropped down over his forehead and covered his ears. His eyes were still fixed on the papers he was holding, putting them inside a folder. He thought that should get rid of Ada for the meantime. He knew that she was from an unknown organization and they too might interfere with the military's plans. He was simply following the general's orders and to execute them. "You may go now Ada. It's what you want right? I'll go check this unknown party Rachelle had reported about."

Ada turned to the window instead. "I'll be back" she slid through the window and ran. She was gone in a few seconds. Marcus was alone again in his office, transfixed again in the thought of a new party. Is it possible that they were after the weapons the citizen had left them?

He walked towards the file drawers and scanned for what he is finding for. He pulled the fourth and flipped the folder until he had found it. He pulled it out and placed it on his desk. He sat back and opened the folder containing the files about the previous citizen who owns the house. It was a woman named Gertrude Sanders. It seems that she has a strong connection to the Umbrella Corporation. As soon as the scandal of the Corporation got out, information of what was under her house was being questioned until they finally cornered her but she only denied it until a solid evidence was seen. She was supposed to pay the charges but she didn't. The authority tried to put her to jail but she managed to escape. Her whereabouts were now unknown. The undead army had already risen so the transferring of he weapons was not properly done. Not a single one was moved from its original place. However, it was a puzzling act of the previous Major why he had put Alice and the others in that house. He had heard classified information from his own Lieutenant Rachelle Deveaux that Alice herself used to work for Umbrella. He must have thought of some clever plan but he died too early before he could have done it. His thoughts were interrupted when there was a sudden knock on the door. It opened and six people entered including Lt. Deveoux. Neo Crawford was the last one to enter. He too was like Rachelle, but his position was achieved with the help of Marcus although he still show some respect for him. His hair was shaved like the other soldiers and his blue eyes were glimmering with a carefree personality. Indeed he was a carefree person but when it comes to work, he was as serious as hell. He could be considered as a prodigy in the military. His training was doubled from his fellow comrades and his marksmanship itself had helped him at critical times. Marcus wondered why he was still in such a position while he could work from some black operation. His knowledge for handling different guns were very wide, varying from pistols, to rifles and even RPGs. He was an all around soldier. His training for firearms was way far from his fellow soldiers, shooting more than five hundred rounds just for training. He was indeed something.

The other four was Matthew Thompson, Eric Williams, David Bellow and William Briggs. Everyone except him had a position of a Lieutenant. They were also respected in the military for this section. Deveoux once again had proven to him that she was important to them, aside from being a woman. She was also tough in the battlefield and her marksmanship was good enough to pass for some black operations. However, the other four, he had no idea who they were. But if Rachelle had recruited them, he was well assured that they too were something.

"Sir, Eric Williams here had reported to find men in black surrounding the house where Alice and the other have resided via his binoculars. It seems that they were unauthorized and entered the sector secretly. And to what I believe, they could be after what the previous owner Gertrude Sanders had left. This would be considered as a black operation." Rachelle started. Marcus eyes were locked upon her hazel eyes. There was another load of information they had gathered. He thought to himself that if it was useful enough. And he had already stared making a plan.

"This will be classified information. Consider yourselves to be executing a black operation. No one would ever talk of this again. This will be our plan…"

Abraham Connors was looking out in the other side of the window where the Eve Program was still unconscious. She had a short blond hair and her eyes will definitely be like Adam's. She was still asleep and she would only be awoken if Adam is going to be near her, too bad that Adam had escaped. They had a very big miscalculation to 'inject' Alice's memories in him. He was still a bit sad for that, because it, the Genesis Project will fail.

A woman behind him appeared. Her hair was long, wavy and blonde. Her eyes were so dark that you couldn't tell what her intentions were. Her face was dead serious with her work and she would do anything to complete her tasks and show her pride to the world. She had an outstanding determination, Dr. Connors had thought, but will she risk _everything_?

"Sir, we have improvements in the virus." she spoke. It was enough for Connors to smile with glee.

"Very good Dr. Gertrude Sanders."

Everyone on the Echo team were in position, Echo-four was already guarding the house wherein it will be their small 'tower.' Echo-two was already upstairs and was on the soft cushion he had brought along with him. His rifle was as steady and ready to shoot. He had already started observing if there were movements inside although there was none. Echo-five and Echo-one were well hidden behind some thick bush at each side. Echo-three had already put already a secured breach charge on the back door, waiting for the command to blow it up.

All of their thermal goggles were on just in case someone was spying at them. But there was none. There were nothing that was giving off heat except for the dead bodies but the heat was slowly fading away.

[This is Echo-one, everyone is in position.] he announced looking at the digital map on his arm. [We will start in another five minutes. Wait for my signal…]


	22. 5 Minutes

Chapter 22

5 Minutes

"Wait another _five_ minutes?! Is he insane?" Echo-three thought to himself with a bit of sarcasm. Another five minutes of waiting is pretty long for them now that they're _alive_ and excited to get back home after a complete mission their commander had given them. Their teamwork was improved from the first time they start doing missions. Dozens of special assignments were given to them assigned by their leader. They were always briefed with their mission but one can never be too prepared. So, it is the duty of their captain to adapt to the right situations. His decisions will greatly affect the outcome of the mission's results. Their leader was Echo-one and they had been together for almost five years now, traveling all around the world, lending out a hand. Their expertise demanded them for more intensive training a soldier could get. There was another team called Alpha team and they were considered the lesser. The Alpha team consisted of members from all over the world. However, there are occasions in which their teams would 'team-up' to finish a mission. But that only happened once after a large group of terrorists made carnage out of a famous theme park. The mission was rather classified and they were shocked that the government was able to hide the truth from the media. Both teams were now busy trying to hunt down most of the Umbrella Corporation's leaders after the event. This was their third assignment after the accident outbreak of the virus a month ago. The military in the area were too busy to handle the transferring of the weapons from the house of Gertrude Sanders. So it was assigned to them to steal the most advance weaponry that could be found in there. However, their entry would be secret and they used the recent attack in order for them sneak in.

The Echo team was still tensed in the decision. If someone had blown up their covers, they are in deep shit. But no, they know that Echo-one was too cautious and wouldn't let that happen. Maybe his instinct was telling him that it was not yet the right time. Echo-three thought to himself. The house was already surrounded and it was pure luck that they would be able to escape. The flash bang would surely stun their actions with its bright flash and deafening noise. They had even encounter during a hostage rescue mission wherein one of the hostage ears bled when they threw one of it. It's pretty handy in cases like those unlike the frag. He turned on his thermal goggles again and the area was 'sure dead.' There were no movements and the area was pretty silent. He turned on his radio. [This is Echo-three, I have a suggestion.]

[Speak.] Echo-one responded.

[I think we should use our pistols, and put on a suppressor. The area is pretty silent. If we make noises, I'm sure there will be an echo that would put our mission in jeopardy.] Echo-three went on. [I saw the rifle Houston brought with him. It has a suppressor so it could still be used and they won't know what hit them.]

[You have a point.] Echo-one responded once again. [I guess we'll have to switch for that on. Echo-four, stay put and don't change your weapon.]

[Affirmative.] Echo-four responded. Her voice was a bit husky for some reason, maybe because of the frequency over the radio. She was one of the best supporters on the team. Most of her teammates rely on her when it comes to back up. She was naturally talented when it comes to invisibility. Her toes were as silent as the night and no one would know how they were killed. She was fast and deadly in fact. She was the best when it comes to close quarter combat on the team, as long as she had her trusty knife. She was also the silent type. She rarely speaks to her teammates and would only speak open-mindedly if there was a flaw in Echo-one's plan. Everyone in the team seems to cooperate with Echo-one. Maybe he had a powerful charisma for others to follow him, Echo-four thought to herself once. And now, they had a new assignment and everyone was in position. The go signal was all they were waiting for. She looked to her wrist watch with stated that there were four minutes left before they're in the game-zone, not that it would last longer anyway.

The seven of them were in a Chinook excluding the pilot who was known as Mark Harrison. He was the only pilot in the district for the moment and they have to get to Alice and the others. Their lives may be in jeopardy because of this new party. The five of them would go down through a zip-line and he would be staying inside the chopper. Briggs will be left with him. He was rather too old to go to missions like those. Everyone was ready with their machine guns and they were allowed to choose which would be favorable for them. Neo was still outside the chopper, carrying a Heckler and Kosch M36C which he held tightly in his hands. Its design was very distinct and has a scope attached to it. He smiled back at Marcus, giving him a doubtful look on his face as he was still finishing down his cigarette. Deveoux was rather a bit too relaxed and she was a holding an MP-10 in her arms. She was looking down on the flooring with ease in her eyes. She always did this before a mission. Relaxing was a part of her habit which helped her a lot during the mission itself. Matthew Thompson and David Bellow were carrying SA-58 rifle. Marcus thought that Rachelle was pretty confident she put those two on the team. They were still chatting of some random things inside the chopper. William Briggs will be the rifleman for this mission. He will be staying inside the chopper with him. He couldn't say what his gun was since he hadn't familiarized much with long-range guns even though that every marine should be a rifleman inside the dangerous battlefield. Eric Williams was carrying Benelli shotgun that was strapped behind him. They were all set and ready to go. Neo was out in his view for a while when he realized he was already seated near him. The blades of the Chinook started spinning furiously and it took a few seconds before Harrison gave them the signal and the Chinook finally lifted off the ground. Everyone inside put on their belts and strapped them safely. The Chinook flew into the air and went towards their next stop.

Echo-two was still on the window scanning some movements inside the house though there was none. Echo-one was pretty confident to put him on the duty he is currently in. He hasn't had much confidence him and would back out in the middle of most situations. But his teammates were always there to support him, giving him morale on what he is to do. In fact, he has the safest position among all of them. He was a meter farther from death compared to them. Echo-one was still hiding in his position with Echo-five on the other side. He looked at his watch on his wrist for a few seconds and there was three minutes before show time. He put his eye to its proper position and looked back inside the house. [Still no movement.] He said over his radio.

[Affirmative. One-eight-zero seconds people.] Echo-one replied. He wasn't tensed at all. But he thought to himself, was he overlooking the situation. The previous Major wasn't dumb enough to put some low class citizen in there. But what if the people inside were armed. But then again, what was the flash bang for? He a hundred percent sure that it would pause their actions and that interval was the key for their success. They were trained physically and psychologically prepared to destroy human life without any hesitation. The suggestion that was made by Echo-three was indeed something. He wished that he should have put Echo-four with them as a support. She has a perfect skill of invisibility and was a natural-born hunter. There were missions in which she snuck in alone in the enemy fortress and open an entrance for them without being noticed by any alarm systems. However, she would usually prefer to use a suppressed handgun and a knife while doing this. And she didn't wear and vests which makes her bulky and decrease her flexibility. Their vests and other accessories covered most of their black 'ninja suits'–it's what they decided to call it. She did her work fast _and neat_, making sure there were no bloodstains to be found. A few more seconds and there were two minutes before it was time.

Caleb looked at Jordan curiously. He was already crumbling into the effects of the virus. All of them approached him and started to make small murmurs. Could it be that it was time for his newly found cousin to go?

Jordan was indeed a cheery little kid but was a bit of a crybaby. He would usually cry over nothing but he still has a tough side on him. Even after the recent events made by the virus, he was still able to show something to cope up with the rest of the group. In fact, between Jordan and Thomas, he was a better gunner. Although he couldn't survive in the battlefield, he would still be able give out at least a small resistance. Ever since he knew Caleb, he considered him to be the big brother he never had even though there wasn't much a difference in their ages. He showed affection for him a lot of times and would protect him. But now he was nearing his death and there was no Anti-Virus nearby to use. It wasn't recovered from the explosion anyway. But was it still possible to find another cure. He looked up to Caleb who looked so worried and with teary eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked. But he couldn't even feel his body anymore and he was too weak to respond. He didn't give out a reply which alarmed the whole group. Alice was thinking that the effects of the virus were too fast to show signs of being infected. Rain lasted longer than he did. Could it be that the virus infused with the crows' DNA made the transformation go faster? She was sure that Jordan's blood didn't bond too well with the T-Virus. Caleb was just like having normal injuries. His body was somehow manipulated by the Umbrella which means that his blood _did_ bond with the virus, making him immune to its effects. But too much dose of it would surely affect him. The injuries were only bites from crows but he is _still_ vulnerable. She looked at the other people surrounding the poor little boy. Only Nikki and Max didn't move in their positions on the floor. They didn't really care for him and kept treating him like an outcast that humiliated them. They were from the same father who cheated _both_ of their mothers. He looked at the others who looked really worried. Caleb held Jordan's hand like a brother he should be. He truly cares for the little boy but was there still hope left for him?

Ada was on her bright red car roaming around the streets now filled with the flesh-eating creatures. She just kept dodging them or hitting them hard if needed. But she didn't like it that much. Their insides would often burst out and splatter on her wind shield. It would blind her for the meantime and she had to sweep it again with the wipers. And there would be blood stains all over it.

She didn't actually know where to find the house they reside in but she knows what to do. She is aiming to establishing a contact of the agency by getting a signal on the highest building available in there. She knew about classified information which tells that a previous citizen in the area left some unknown weapons. If she could track that house down with the use of the intelligence of the Agency, it is more likely that the Major would put them in that exact same house. They let them discover it and let them use it. It's pretty stupid but there is some reason behind it. Could it be that the Major knew Alice was an Umbrella Project? And he would let them use it because she must have known how to use it. But no, she figured that there is some deeper reason for that. The building was now in view where marines were found everywhere now. They just let her pass through like nothing ever happened. They were still preparing a stand against the undead. It would be minutes before she would know where to find them.

Phillip was still examining carefully the window, trying to peek and find the soldiers thought there was none. Adam was sitting on the chair with closed eyes and both hands near his face. He was trying to concentrate until Phillip interrupted him. "What the hell are you doing man?!"

He opened his eyes but what expected to happen didn't happen at all with his hands. He closed his eyes again and brought one of his fingers close to his mouth. Phillip knew he should be quite. He quitted looking at the window and started to observe what Adam was doing. Adam was a big help to him, saving him from what whatever those things are. His brown wavy hair would always remind him of his friend Dylan. But he was already long gone and he lost all hope to survive until he came. He has no intention of saving him at all. He was so sure that when he first met him, his eyes were full of hesitation to bring him along. But it was proven wrong. He tagged along with Adam and tried to find a safer place. He really owed him his life for that. But how could he help him if this person has extraordinary powers? He would only be of a big nuisance for him which would have been much worse. But he knew that he never felt any kind of rejection from Adam and would always do something to help him. But he was still trying his best to help him too.

"Watch what I can do." Adam said with a vicious smile, interrupting his thoughts. He closed his fist and it lit up. It was turning into a bright red as if it was a metal melting by too much heat. He could feel the pressure in the room as it was slowly rising. Small electric currents were running up around his fists. But then, it slowly turned back to normal. Adam opened his eyes again and smiled at him.

"Why did you stop?" Phillip asked, a bit mesmerized of what he had just seen. It was yet another ability he had just discovered. It seems that there are endless possibilities for his powers. But it should at least an ending right? But no, he kept discovering new stuff. He remembered when he was shot by a gun the night before. He just concentrated and the bullets inside he would slowly fell of from the whole as if it was 'barfing' it off. Then the wounds heal at rate it could be seen by the naked eyes. It closed up completely. He said that it was rapid-cell regeneration. And yet he has to unlock his deepest and darkest powers.

"I won't waste such innocent lives. I wouldn't want to blow this whole place up with _that_." Phillip was shock. That charged ability can blow this whole place? It must have been pretty powerful. It could be as powerful as a nuclear bomb if he could concentrate more. This whole city is going to blow with just _that_. But he knew that he wasn't foolish enough to test that. If that really _is_ powerful, he would only use it with a _big_ hesitation as if he was betting his own life on some silly game.

"I think I saw a first aid kit upstairs. I think we should try to cover the wounds at least." Alice suggested.

"I'm going with you." Carlos and Jill said in unison. The three of them stood and ran up the stairs. Everyone was still quite in their previous positions inside the room. Nikki and Max were still together. Jordan had already stopped from moving, trying to ease his pain, with Caleb and Steve on his sides. Thomas, Ashley and Angie were surrounding Jordan, still silent.

[This is Echo-two there are now movements inside the house.] Echo-two said over his radio, reporting what he has found. [There are two women and a man suddenly came out. The man is pretty muscular and one of the ladies had blond hair and the other is black. I'm seeing weapons, specifically pistols.]

Echo-one had already made his decision. It was already time for them to go to the next dimension. [We will now commence on my command. We won't wait any longer for the next three minutes. Ready yourselves everyone.]

[Hold on.] Echo-two said over the radio. He pressed on the laser and the rangefinder. It says the he was 32 meters away from his target. He zoomed in his scope and scanned the people he is targeting. [Remembered the classified Umbrella data _Nero_ told us? She's the ones called Project Alice. Request to take her down immediately.] He said getting straight to the point he always was in the team.

[Request granted. Hit it as soon as the breach charge blows up.] Echo-one replied over his radio. [Make sure that you hit her. We're going to hit two birds with one stone everyone, more good news.]

[Rifle Echo. Target still on sight. Out.]

[Roger that.]

Alice and the others were still scanning the first floor. The place was pretty smashed up. Most of the glasses were shattered by the crows that flew inside by force. It was trashed up but they had move eventually now. The three of them were still scanning the area. It could still be fixed somehow, but it would sure take time. The others were still at the basement, probably sobbing over Jordan. "I know it was upstairs." she said.

"We're right behind you." Carlos said to her. He was always there for others. Trying his best to support their thoughts and would back them up, even though that no one even asked him for that. He was really gentle with everyone around him. She sometimes wondered why he _has_ to be some kind of job wherein he has to kill people. Although it was crystal clear that it was part of his job. He really had a knack for making fun of others but when it comes to work, she could really see some his determination. The UBCS or also known as Umbrella Biohazard Counter-measuring Service is a part of Umbrella. Bother of them worked for the corporation that ruined everyone's life. Although it would take a lot of time, it is still inevitable that the T-Virus be scattered all over the world.

[This is Echo-two, target is lost on sight. They went upstairs.] Echo-two is getting a bit impatient now. He would just have to pull the trigger after Echo-one had given them the go signal. He was way excited for a job well done. He knew that Echo-one's plan was now flawless. He made a contact with their commander, Nero, on their way in the area. He asked details about who is currently living inside the house. There were four adults and the rest were just kids. After the shot those two are down and it all leads up to the last man inside and it's complete.

[Hold it.] Echo-one responded. Everyone on the team was as tensed as hell. If only that they hadn't gone up the stairs they would have been dead by now. Everyone was in their position waiting that seems like a whole lifetime but they shouldn't rush it do they. They have to be patient or else the whole mission will be put into jeopardy and that wasn't their mission. Their mission was to steal the most high-tech weapon found at the basement.

Suddenly, there was somehow a 'scratch' at Echo-one's radio. [This is Commander Nero, this will be short. Whatever you are doing, you are requested to stop it and proceed back to the base _immediately. _Out.]

The order shocked everyone. Were they supposed to hear that? It echoed in everyone's head. Was that really _their_ commander? Was he really _that_ foolish for them to retreat at their current stat. Plus, why is it his voice emphasized the word 'immediately.' They were confused as hell and no one seemed to respond to what their commander told them. They were just about to commence their assault when there was a sudden change of plans.

[Fuck that.] Echo-one said abruptly. [Fall back, commander's order.] They could sense the hesitation and frustration in his voice. What the hell was Nero thinking? Echo-one thought to himself, shouting inside as hard as he could. If only he saw the situation now, he would have let them commence their attack, but no, they were now supposed to withdraw from their current position.

[We're going back to base. Over and out.]

The Chinook hovered over the houses as it flew towards the house where Alice and others currently resides. Everyone's eyes were closed as they were charging up for a battle. Being tensed somehow sapped away one's energy and it wouldn't be nice to drop by on a battle on an enemy without having the energy a person need.

"We're here." Mark Harrison pulled the nose to a halt. Everyone's attention was caught by this. They already meters above the house. Deveoux's yes was the first one to snapped open followed by Neo then the others. David Bellow slid the door open and let the rope fall. They attached their D-shaped hooks on the rope and put on their gloves for protection. Bellow was the first one to slide down the rope, his SA-58 rifle dangling down his back. He applied pressure as he approached the ground slow down his descent. His feet touched the ground softly and silently. He released the hook and grabbed is rifle and aimed towards the distance although no one was there. He knelt to his knee as he scanned the area slowly but thoroughly. Eric Williams was next to slid down the rope. After releasing the hook, he grabbed his shotgun. Next was Neo, then Thompson and the last was Rachelle. Everyone landed and the ground without a scratch. They were in front of the house and movements were clearly seen from the inside. Everyone had already this kind of training but rarely. They weren't from special-ops and more of a soldier one would often find. Marcus observed the team from above and could see the reason why Rachelle had picked them for the team.

Someone opened the door which caught their attention, all guns aimed directly at Alice who was mesmerized, her gun also aimed at them. They came to them without a warning. And now, they were in front of the house with their guns aimed at her. Carlos and Jill were puzzled why she had stopped until they saw the view before her. There were five of them at least 3 meters away from each other. They seemed to be in a position but were still vulnerable if anyone was waiting inside the houses. William Briggs who was the long-rifleman was still in the chopper, aimed at her.

Rachelle lowered her gun as soon as she realized she was the person Oliver talked to a while ago. "Stand down." she ordered. Everyone seemed to follow.

"We're here from the order of Marcus Oliver." she explained.


	23. Determination

Chapter 23

Determination

William Briggs was still inside the chopper with Marcus Oliver with his eyes were still sighting through his Heckler and Koch SL8. He had only held the gun a few times in his whole life. And after this mission, Marcus would soon realize that he has a talent for that gun-meaning that it would be his duty to serve as the long-rifleman for the team Rachelle had formed. The gun itself was pretty powerful. He had once shot an enemy with the gun. It was so powerful that it hit the enemy behind him and the bullet still went through their bodies. Both fell, crumbling in pain. He did it in purpose since he wants to kill those two as _slowly_ as possible. He was now taken this job which he was more comfortable. But sooner or later he would still have to get let go of the little devil. He looked at his scope to see to the distance beyond. There was nothing there. The crows really made a mess in the place. The other parts of the city were still safe but this side wasn't. It's up to the military to kill the remaining ones and soon, the place will be heavily guarded.

Rachelle approached Alice, showing off her confidence. Alice wasn't startled that much but she let her guard down. The others behind her moved to their strategic spots and made up their perimeter to make sure it was perfectly safe. Carlos and Jill who were behind her were relaxed at least a bit. It was the military after all and they seem they meant no harm at all. They were help although they didn't ask for it. But Alice sure remembered that Marcus said that they themselves were going to the house.

"Where is Marcus?" she asked. Rachelle only responded with an upward pointing and walked right inside the house. Alice looked up to see a Chinook hovering above them. She was amazed that it didn't give much noise as one would expect from a helicopter. A rifleman was on the edge of the opening, keeping a look-out from above. "What's your purpose here?"

"Another party was after the weapons under the basement. I assume you know that. We went here quickly as possible before it could have been too late but still managed to get here in time." Rachelle explained showing no emotions at all. She was well damned serious about it. No one would be bitching with her in this situation.

[This Briggs, I spot someone a block east of the house. Over.] It caught the attention of everyone in the team. Rachelle's weapon rose up and rushed outside. Alice drew her gun and threw the first-aid kit at Carlos. He knew what to: go to the basement and assist the two kids. Suddenly there was a gunshot and they could tell it was from Briggs' rifle. Marcus would have ordered him to do that. Alice rushed outside and saw everyone leaning towards the walls, probable minimizing the chance to be seen by their prey. Nero jumped over one of the fences and rolled towards the ground. He got into position and started crawling.

[There are two of them. They're behind the house with the red roof.]

Briggs gave them another warning from above. Alice could no longer see anyone from the team except Briggs who was at the chopper and Rachelle who was beside her. She was cautious as she had observed. Making sure things are correctly done. She considered every of her mistakes as a fatal thing to do and could turn the tables. It was pretty true. For as long as it was possible, it could happen. She doesn't want to make such big risks. They don't know who the two people are and what their capabilities are. Alice was getting a bit nervous. She felt as if she was being left out. She was with people who were trained properly and whose expertise was to kill people.

The Echo team finally made it to base by riding the Night Hawk. They were exhausted _and_ frustrated which makes the whole thing worse. No one was happy about Nero's decision but it was an order. They cannot object that since he was their commander. It was failed mission for what they could consider it to be. Everyone was beginning to doubt their commander's action but what can they do. But Echo-four was seeing it differently from the others. Why was it essential to withdraw quickly? They knew Nero but in this case, it was something that put them to the edge of betrayal. It must have been a very big emergency for such a hasty action. Could t be that Nero himself knew that something bad is going to happen that's why he put them to safety? There was a lot possibility she could ask herself. But which is which? No one knew of Nero's current motivations and it was proven fact. Nero kept giving them pointless missions recently. It seems that they were more on the offense than a defense which had more positive results. But no one ever questioned him for that. No one messes with this fucker, all she could say. He was a deadly man. Someone not to mess with or else you would be giving your life. He was smart and cunning and also an opportunist, though he was also a bit of an idealist. But they cannot prove that either.

Back before, Nero was part of the team itself. They were under his leadership although he doesn't do every mission their previous commander gives them. He was always gone so he was kicked out of the team but should still remain silent. But he managed to get back and even became the new commander. How ironic isn't it? He was pretty talented himself. However, ever since he became the commander, he only briefs the mission via a secured radio frequency. He never does it live. He was pretty busy but no one knew what he was doing presently-probably tanning himself on the beach, Echo-one said it before.

Everyone's radio was having another incoming transmission. [This is Nero, sorry for the inconvenience of your withdrawal. It was a bit urgent. This will be short. I'm assigning you another mission. There is base of Umbrella 18Km from your current position. Go give them a hell of a bloodshed everyone. I'll transmit the location to your leader, Chris Altmark. Good luck everyone!]

The line went dead. Everyone was at least happy now that they had a new mission. And it was going to be fun. They were finally able to track down an Umbrella base and its time for those bastards to go. They started this whole thing that shook the world. And this T-Virus would probably push humanity on the verge of extinction. Those fucking bastards are going to pay. Echo-one told himself. It'll only be a few minutes of traveling before they would land. The base was probable underground like most of their bases. They once had infiltrated one of Umbrella's facilities in Europe. Their mission was to kill their top scientists in the facility to halt down the progress of a new virus. It was classified information and no one talked about. Everyone, however, had a slight curiosity on this new virus. They called it 'Lucifer' for some unknown reasons. The mission was a big success. They were already infiltrating Umbrella Facilities even before the outbreak at Raccoon City. It was pretty damned the T-Virus was released in a small amount of time. They already knew about the virus but they couldn't bring a damned evidence to the surface. It would be like flicking on the lights and their team wouldn't be 'black' anymore. It will be like suicide. But now that the evidence is out, the whole world was like hunting them all down.

Caleb was still beside Jordan, who was still silent. He even was beginning to doubt that he's still alive. But he couldn't think like that. It felt like a part of his humanity was being ripped apart from him. He was wondering if Icarus has a healing ability they could use to heal both of them. However, it would be hard to convince him. But it would be better if he could try it at least. Everyone was still chatting and surrounding Jordan. At least they appeared to be calmed down though he wasn't sure.

He closed his eyes again and tried to concentrate. He was having a hard time since there noises in the room. He couldn't yell on them because he would only be questioned more. His idea intrigued him more as he was coming close to a connection with his inner demon. He made it finally. He was inside his head again, inside the dull gray room where Icarus was to be found. He hated and despised him. The look on his face was very grim but devious.

"I know what you want." he spoke, a seeming threat that stood no effect on him. His arrogant and proud voice echoed through his ears. "Yet, you have it already. You don't need to ask."

Caleb was dumbfounded and confused. He didn't understand what his devil had said to him. "I have what I needed?" he asked himself but no answer can be devised in his mind. Every time he would talk to him in his subconscious, hr would tell him things that put plunge him into deep confusion. He didn't understand it all, wishing that it would just go away. But he needed his help once again. However, he had no idea what the meaning of his reply was. He paused for a few seconds, analyzing his statement, but gave up at long last. He didn't know what to say but his perception was giving him another idea.

"Don't you get it?" Icarus asked him in his overconfident voice. He was always there like a perfect being to him. But no he wasn't, he was rather a corrupt dumb ass. The only thing he was after was his abilities. He could have put them into good use but his presence was needed. "You really are stupid little fucker aren't you?"

Caleb didn't respond, His piercing gaze futile upon the eyes of his devil.

"Don't you see? You have me because your blood bonded with the virus just like Alice'" he paused for a bit. Caleb was a bit perplexed. It was true that his blood bonded with the T-Virus. Could it be what he was asking? But there was the other side. He was really begging for him to regenerate Jordan's wounds. He knew then afterwards that he was immune to the virus. His vitals weren't showing any signs unlike Jordan. His wounds were just like normal ones that would gradually heal in time. "if you really insist."

Pain shot through his body. It was scorching as he was shot back to reality. He opened his eyes widely, taking the all the pain. He looked at his wounds on his arms it was smoking as if there was something burning inside as the others looked at him with awe, especially Steve. Jordan was now unconscious. His body might have been trying to preserve the remaining of his life in him. He looked back at his own open wounds. It was slowly closing up as he too was in awe. But his attention was back to Jordan, he was more in a desperate call. He gripped his hand tightly. Was it possible to have a connection in the middle of this?

Slowly, Jordan was raised back to life. He opened his eyes, groaning in pain the connection had given him. His wounds were staring to close up like Caleb's. Everyone was astonished to see things no human could achieve. But there it was happening before them. It was the reality that was somehow ripped of off from a fantasy because of a desperate help. No word came out of everyone's mouths. Nikki and Max even moved in to see something that would have been a miracle. It was too unreal to happen.

Both boys were panting hard. Desperately in need of space but no one got the message. Carlos was already with them and just saw the whole thing. He was silent. He remembered that Caleb was like Alice-a project made from the Umbrella Corporation. "Give them some space will yeah?" he said teasingly. And everybody did move, even the two Murray's.

Jordan was the first one to catch his breath. But he was still inhaling and exhaling repeatedly through his mouth. He would have a side stitch eventually if he keeps doing it. "What the hell happened?" he asked. He knew he was in the brink of turning into one of those but here he was, safe and alive. He was already starting to fear he might attack and hurt someone from the room. But if he did turn into one of them, he would have thanked anyone of them to kill him in an instant, yet he would have been him at all is it?

Echo-four put on her gloves as the chopper hover was nearing a small building. One of the pilots pulled open the door and let the rope fall lifelessly into the air. She locked the hook on he rope and slowly slid down through the rope until she felt the ground under her feet. She will be the first one to infiltrate the facility and give the others an opening. She has done this a lot of times now and she learned from her experiences well enough for her to make her own guidelines in terms of infiltration. It was a huge relief that her vest was finally off and her gloves were replaced by lighter ones. Her knife was securely placed on her left shoulder. She put on the suppressor of her M-9 pistol which was slid inside its holster on her right leg. She put the earphone on her right ear and the microphone just below her chin. The Black Hawk flew towards the distance. It was a chopper that could barely be detected when it comes to sounds. It was pretty silent for a helicopter but it was really designed for that. It was no irony that the military permitted them to use it. It was of huge significance for their missions to be properly done. They would always use it when they have to make covert operations. And so far, their missions were mostly black operations.

She found herself on top of a two-storied building. It was mostly white and the place around it was mostly deserted. Not a single building was to be seen as she was having more suspicions on this. Maybe this would be more important than the weapons, she thought to herself. Nero's voice on the radio was a bit more 'enlightened' unlike when he spoke to them when he asked for the fallback of the operation. She slowly walked to the door that could be seen at the corner of the building. As she approached it she drew her gun and cautiously scanned the area. She leaned her body onto the door and grabbed the door knob. She slowly turned it but it didn't budge. She took out her lock pick equipments out from her pocket and she was inside in to time. The place was pretty dark and gloomy. She entered as carefully but with a quick elegance on her feet. She took out and wore her NVGs as she scanned the room more properly. The place was pretty dull and very neutral like some sort of isolated building. Well, it really looked like one from the outside. She got startled when the radio vibrated because of a call. She flipped on the switch and listen to the transmission.

[This is Echo-one…you in?]

[Affirmative.]

[Good, we had just deployed in the area. Clear the two floors before opening the back door for us. Over and out.]

Then the radio went silent. She had just examined the blueprints for the building. There was a smaller version of the Hive under the building. But she looked at the blue prints mostly on the two upper floors. She examined it carefully to find possible strengths and weakness for the guards. She could remember it perfectly and clearing the area wouldn't be a problem for her. She went down the stairs and would be clearing the second floor. She was in a fire exit as seen in the map. She opened the door slightly to the second floor slowly and scanned the nearby area. There was a walking guard nearby. He was facing backwards this time so she could tuck in her head to scan more clearly. It seems that it was the only person visible in the area. The fire exit was a dead end of the hallway and it was a big advantage for her. She cautiously walked towards the guard. He was carrying an AK-47. It was a bit sarcastic for her. Terrorists would probably get hold on those. But no, this time, it was a guard serving for the Umbrella Corporation. It was a bit ironic to see something like that. She would soon laugh at that at the end of the mission.

Her scarlet hair followed her head that slowly crept up to its attacker. It was something that really states out her name-Scarlet Woods. She slid back her pistol inside the holster and grabbed the mouth and dragged him slowly back wards. It happened quickly that the guard didn't have time to react. She pulled him and slammed him to the wall as she pulled out her knife. The guard's eyes were shut because of the pain on the back of his head, not seeing his attacker in front of him. She slit through his throat quickly. It gashed through a large part of the neck that blood was squirting out of it. She jumped backwards and managed to evade the rushing blood. It could track her down if she stepped on it, leaving a bloody footprint. It was done quick and clean and she would be letting the others quicker than they had expected. It was time for the others to go.

"I think we should split up." Ada said, turning to her comrade. He was still wearing a costume which she considers to be silly. He had a wavy light brown hair with deep blue eyes. He was almost the same age as her but he was younger by a few years. Yet he looks a lot younger considering his age. He was wearing a mask and black hooded coat. It was pretty fit for the upper body but the lower part of the coat was pretty loose. Every part of his clothes was black since it was his favorite color. Both of his pistols were in its proper holster on his thighs. It was specially made with high precision and speed of firing. Its fire-power was also considered to be powerful. It has a firepower of a Dessert Eagle and was customized later on. Now it was double and its bullet was now able to go through walls because of its strength. However it was only due to close range-as close as five meters. She knew his attitude very well. He was as carefree as a free horse. Yet she didn't understand how come a man like this was able to enter the agency. Inside her, that was enough for her to respect the person. They were now supposed to finish their assignment when some military guys showed up and start hunting them down. They got far away eventually but they were still tracking them down.

"Mirage." Ada mentioned his codename in a soft voice. He was still silent under his gray mask. It was made of thin plating and it shows a neutral emotion which always gives a dull reaction to her. His blue eyes gazing upon her that shows her the gentle side of him.

"You don't have to call me by that name." he finally said with his voice in a somewhat melodic fashion. His voice always seems so happy. Maybe it was a property why he was given the codename Mirage. His voice itself was an illusion to his deadly personality. He was a sort of magician. She only saw him in battle once. His hands were so fast and somehow give a damn disguise to them enemy and even to his allies. She knew that there are lots of thin knives and needle under his sleeve. He also had knowledge on acupuncture. He knows all of one's vital points which makes it more deadly. He also knows the vital points that could relief the pain that wounds would often give. "Only Wesker calls me that."

Ada was silent again. He took of his mask and showed his delicate face underneath. It looks so young that he could consider being a minor. "Go now! I'll handle these pussies." he said calmly. Ada obeyed and ran off to the distance.

There were three of them coming. All were armed well. Two were holding the same gun and one that was a shotgun. Another one was coming but he at least twenty meters behind. He jumped in front of them who quickly aimed at him. There was no burst of fire. _Good_, he thought. His mask was still under his grip on his right hand but the hood was long enough to cover most of his face.

There was silence. No one spoke or try to make a small step. The three of them froze and so did Neo whose gun was already raised. He threw his mask upward which was followed by the two's eyes. He was too quick for the two of them to react. He was already behind them in a split second/ He took out four sharp needles under his sleeve and stuck it on the David Bellow and Matthew Thompson's necks. It stunned them quickly. He turned around and drew both of his guns. He fired both once. One bullet went to Neo's rifle before he could take aim again and fire, shattering the connection between the body and the extended stock. One went through his left leg. He screamed of pain and fell to the ground before Mirage's mask could. He stood up and walked to the mask that had just hit the ground. David and Matthew were still petrified. Only their eyes were moving, locked on the unknown man before them.

"I don't have time to enjoy your deaths. I'm really sorry for that." he happily exclaimed before taking his mask and walking of into the distance. "Was he a psycho?" David thought to himself. "Why can't I move my fucking limbs?!"

Rachelle and Alice just came to see the view. Neo was shot and was on the ground, groaning of pain. Bellow and Thompson were petrified, aimed to an unknown range of distance. Rachelle approached Nero who was panting and catching his breath. Alice raised her gun and wandered off nearer to the other two. There was a man in a black coat into the distance. He stopped and turned around with his mask on.

"I assume you are something that is made, just like your brothers and sisters who feed and blood." he questioned her. His voice was more of a happy tone that dominates his questioning. He drew his gun fast and fired at Alice' pistol before she could react. Her gun flew to the air and her hands snapped because of the force, causing her to scream in pain. In an instant he was in front of her. He pulled her arms and grabbed her in the neck with his left arm. His right reached to his left black sleeve and took out a thin long knife and a long needle. "I assure you this will be long."


	24. Tyrants

Chapter 24

Tyrants

"I…healed you." Caleb replied to Jordan in a somewhat sheepish manner. It was an awkward moment for all of them who were in the room. Everyone could be caught dumbfounded in their places specially Steve. He didn't move a muscle and stared at the two boys beside him. He spoke no word as awe enraged inside his mind.

"Was he supposed to do that?!" Steve thought to himself. He still stared blankly to the too who were staring at the others. No one was speaking anything at all. Carlos was smiling only. Nikki and Max were silent in their corner. Max's anger was swelling up inside him even though he knew that there was no reason. They hated each other because of their parents themselves. It rooted up and grew inside the kids who were only in the young age, seeing only fighting as a solution.

Jordan was still shocked. He didn't understand what he was trying to say. It even took a few seconds for his brain to analyze what he had just said yet he didn't know what it meant. He _healed_ me? Jordan's thoughts were echoing inside his head, not knowing what to say. He stared blankly at the others first. Caleb is a normal boy and he cannot do miracles, _right_? Was he really able to do that? Jordan's head was still questioning himself while he could ask him though he wasn't sure. He felt his head tingling as others began to move. There were so many questions in mind but he couldn't figure out how to assess them.

"Are you an alien or something?" Nikki asked Caleb from the other side of the room. Those two kept insulting them for no reason. Caleb didn't respond nor even look at her. Nikki's sarcastic question was out of his head in a snap.

"Perhaps he's a monster like what we saw outside." Max whispered to his sister beside him. Caleb could hear it very clearly. He had acute senses ever since he became a project of Umbrella. He just got used to them somehow. Although too much gunfire around would be likely to cause him minor headaches. "Great, another insult." He thought to himself. He knew he had T-Virus inside of him but his blood was just compatible enough to mix with it. He couldn't do anything about it since it was a natural ability. He _is_ one of them although his brain wasn't just as corrupted as those-seeking other species for food. He shot a look at Max whose devious smile vanished in an instant. He _did_ look like a bit like Jordan. They had the same father anyway. He looked so innocent like the person beside him. But his personality changes everything that is included on his first impression. He was a little devil anyone would hate. But was there something else besides that personality of his? If he ever survived, his soft side would eventually show up to them like everyone else. Carlos may look somewhat from the military which he really was, but a person like Alice was very comfortable with him. It means that Carlos' soft side was rather caring. He could sometimes see that too. The two of them worked for Umbrella but now things have changed.

He really didn't have to move to make little Max tremble in his seat. Nikki was silent too like his little brother. But she really had a sarcastic personality unlike the others. No one even talked to her while his little brother went upstairs. No one even bothered to care if he gets eaten when he ran upstairs only to find the adults that had just went in.

On his right was Jordan, still shocked and silent. He was a bit too careless to say something that wasn't really logical. It was just too crazy for someone to believe in. It was something that could only be done by someone with powers. But he _did_ have powers. Beside Jordan was his Uncle Steve who was looking away. He had no idea that he has extraordinary abilities or even what he was now. Thomas, Ashley and Angie were sitting in front of them. Carlos was by the stairs with Jill beside him.

He looked at Thomas who instantly looked away. He was really of the shy type and rarely speaks. He was very nice to the group and would often assist the others. He doesn't talk much about himself which makes him a bit mysterious to the whole group, and in fact the most. Not much of his personalities could be read. He was just always there and following the flow. Maybe he was as flexible as the water. Caleb thought to himself. His sandy blond hair would often remind him of Cole. They would always be together anywhere they went. They were friend ever since they were little and kept having sleepovers as they grew up. But now he was dead, he reminded himself. And he was even the one who killed his reanimated body. It was Umbrella's fault he thought to himself again. They were the one who invented the virus and now they killed most of the people. 9 out of 10 houses in Raccoon City had Umbrella products and now the Corporation finally fell down. It was over, he thought. If Umbrella finally closed down, the dead would finally be lying down in their proper places-the graveyard.

He looked again at Jordan. "I remember now." Jordan replied to what he had said. "You are a Project of Umbrella." He whispered. But Steve heard this. He was enraged by what he had heard. "Your blood bonded with the T-Virus that's why you have extraordinary abilities." Jordan went on. "And you somehow found a way to heal me. Thank You."

"You _were _a project of Umbrella?" Steve cried out. "Jesus, Umbrella had taken thousands of innocent lives. And now they even experimented on my nephew?"

"You better shut up Stevie." Jill exclaimed. "No one wants that to happen and Umbrella just caught the boy. He told us one time what had happened before he was taken to their facility." Jill explained. She somehow supported him which made him more comfortable. She would be sarcastic at times but could also be a lot caring in certain occasions. She walked towards Steve who was still sitting down. "If you find that something pathetic, you are more pathetic if you have killed the boy!"

She was right, Steve thought. It was really stupid for him to kill his nephew just like that. He wasn't any character but himself. He just thought of something stupid just like the protagonist in _The_ _Mist_. He killed his own son. He cursed himself for what he had done. He just fell silent again.

Everyone was alarmed when there were heavy footsteps upstairs. "Is anyone there?" the voice shouted. It's definitely Marcus' voice. The three adults thought. He must have been there all the time. The door opened and he climbed down slowly with a handgun in his hands. He stopped the moment he knew that there were _real_ people there. He slid back his gun in its holster strapped to his thigh. He walked to the middle of the room and announced a bad news. "They were after two people and one of them attacked his pursuers. We have no idea what was happening. And we definitely need back-up for them"

"Can you please describe them?" Jill asked him, being a smart-ass.

"One was a female and the other was a male, well that was what Briggs told me in the chopper. The female had a short black hair and a red dress. The male was wearing a black coat and a hood on. He was the one who attacked."

_A woman in a red dress? Could it be?_ Caleb thought to himself.

Echo-two was still inside the Night Hawk as it hovers above the building. The plan was changed. They were to enter it from the rooftop and killed everyone inside the facility. They read the stolen blueprints Nero had sent them. The building was the only way out. He was supposed to stay inside the chopper and kill anyone who would get outside. He held his M107 sniper rifle tightly. He lay down on the soft cushion again inside the Night Hawk as it hovers. This would be giving the others a time pressure since the gas was only limited. The maximum time before they have to go is only three hours. If they exceed that, their sniper assistance would have to go. He wished he had the XM500 rifle instead since that was more accurate. But his present rifle would still do. Everyone had already gone down to back up Echo-four. She was also informed of their presence and gave her location. The upper two floors were already cleared.

Echo-one swayed down the corridors for remaining enemies. However, there were none except for their dead bodies. Echo-four had done it quickly and no one was alarmed otherwise. Echo-five was the rear since he was short range, carrying an M1014 semi-automatic shotgun. Echo-one held his Heckler and Koch G36K in his hands as it points the way. It was his favorite since he was able to handle it with such a precision no one on his team could even achieve. It would always be his favorite rifle when it comes to assault. Echo-three was close behind him with an XM8 carbine showing him his path. They finally decided to move down to the next floors. Echo-three carried another weapon for Echo-four while Echo-five carried her vest. She told them that she would be waiting in B2 but the place wasn't fully cleared yet so they have to still keep their eyes fully open.

Echo-three was uncomfortable with having another weapon dangling on his back. It was a MP5K-PDW submachine gun. He could clearly remember that Scarlet told him that it was one of her favorites. His carbine swept through as they finally arrived at B2. The place's corridors were white as usual. No one was roaming around and they could clearly hear their footsteps.

"We better walk slowly." Echo-one notified them. "These footsteps could get us killed."

Everyone agreed and they walked silently through the white corridors although they moved slowly this time. The white walls endlessly stretched out to their sides. It gave them the feeling as if they were covered with endless enemies but they were in the enemies' territory anyway. There were a lot of doors along the way so they have to switch on their heat-sensory goggles to see if there is anything on the other sides. Most of them have but the bodies were already lying on the floor, good as dead. Echo-four had really done her job well. However, their goggles have picked up something. It was definitely a living body. Based on its movement, it was already on panic. Echo-four must have missed one, or probably more. She wasn't perfect after all. They should always learn from their mistakes. That person must have been from another floor and had arrived recently. Echo-one could remember the blueprints almost perfectly. It took him a good amount of minutes before he could formulate a plan. The place was really big and hell it was bigger inside. He shoved aside his G36K, making dangle on his back as he grabbed his M9 handgun out equipped with a suppressor. He raised his hand to give a signal. The other two knew they had to stay and let their leader handle it. The body was already running. Echo-one recognized the paths and he knew he was going for the stairs. He made a run for it before the body could make it to the corner where they finally met. He couldn't let anyone else knew that they were taken out person by person. By the looks of the person, he was in mid 40's. He was probably a scientist for the facility. He raised his gun and aimed for the head. He pulled the trigger cold-heartedly as the body collapsed on the floor. It would be an easy job for them if they wouldn't be spotted. But Echo-one knew that they would be as they go down through the levels. It would be easier if they were given a cloaking device the military was working on recently. The person would be completely invisible to the eyes of others but the information was considered classified. And by the means of classified, hell it really was and only knew it because Nero told them. He said that they really need to prove themselves for them to have worth over it. It seems he had only heard it and his information wasn't 100% accurate. They couldn't take risk, could they? It was too vital for making risk wherein they would be blind. And there was another information that another black organization was after it. Good thing was it was still under development but they somehow made a prototype for it. It was another breakthrough of science and they would be able to use perfectly. But they still have to make themselves a damn worth.

Echo-one raised his hand again for another signal. The other two crept up slowly to his back. They were still alert and it was well damn good. Their training should be a damn worth or else they would be giving themselves up for death. No one on earth could stop that if it was really their time. The three of them switched of their heat sensors and stand down. No one in the floor was there except for themselves. _Where the hell_ _is Echo-four damn it?_ Echo-one thought to himself. _She said she's suppose to be in this floor._ He reached for his radio and turned it on.

[This is Echo-one, where the hell are you?]

Caleb stood up, feeling all his strength that rushed up. Everyone looked at him as if he danced crazily and got all their attention. He gave them a reassuring look to tell them he was ok. He noticed Steve wasn't moving for some reason. He didn't even look at him, but he didn't thought about long it enough. He raised his head up and started to think of things. They were after a woman in a red dress. He was sure that it was none other than Ada. She was always in red clothing. Should he mention this to the Major or should he just keep quiet? Then he thought that if he did say it, they will know that he and Ada have a connection and he would considered be a traitor. He backed off the idea in his mind and focused more of rescuing Alice.

"Don't tell me you are going to come with us boy." Marcus started first. "You have no idea what is really like out there."

"Yes he does." Carlos said before Caleb could even open his mouth but Marcus didn't approve it really. It was his duty to protect the citizens and with things going off-hand, times will come wherein the situation is much, much worse. He had even wondered in his mind if he will still be alive by that time. Their group had a lot of minors and it every single on of them would be in danger with just a wrong move that the adults made. He thought of it as he scanned Caleb's body. His motivations were seen in his deep blue eyes as it stared at him.

"I will only let this pass once." Marcus finally said. Caleb's soul burned brightly inside him as reached inside his pocket to pull out his gun. Marcus' eyes went wide as he saw him pulled out a gun. But it seems that it is what Carlos mentioned. It was already under his approval. "One of you better stay here."

"I'll stay." Steve announced not looking, still staring blankly on the ground. He was still beside Jordan. He would want to redeem his stupid actions. He was a fool for almost killing his nephew but it would really be better if he would be useful to their group of survivors.

The four climbed up the stairs with their guns at the ready. They walked over the dead crows again that was now giving a foul stench and walked to the door. The dead had already began rising as they could hear soft moans coming from inside the houses. It echoed through the dead silence around them. "That is a really good background theme for our situation." Carlos chuckled followed by Caleb's giggle. The other two remained silent as they approach the van. Marcus opened the back and showed them some weapons they could use. Jill held on an M4A1 Carbine and Carlos with a Remington shotgun. Marcus got himself an Uzi since his arms weren't that suited anymore for using heavier artilleries. He was already above 50 but he could still managed to catch up with his troops. Caleb looked at the variety of guns but he didn't pick any. He was suited with his pistol.

Suddenly a scream broke out at one of the houses. They could definitely tell it was a child because of the high pitched voice. They looked around, trying to trace where the voice had come from. It was the house opposite of them. "What about Alice?!" Jill asked. "They should be fine, a team was with her and we got one sniper inside the chopper." Marcus said. They rushed to it with Carlos giving the front door a heavy roundhouse, making it fall to the ground. The others rushed inside quickly to see where the child is. The house is just like theirs but with a little difference. Marcus could remember who the assigned people were inside the house. It was the Crests' and they were somehow related to Major Robinsons making them end up inside this house. Eyes sway rhythmically with their guns as they search for the child. He could also remember that they had a son at the time they moved in. Another scream broke out coming from the second floor. Caleb rushed upstairs immediately since he was just at the bottom of it. He kicked the door as it swung open. He saw the child on the corner slowly being approached by the reanimated bodies of his parents. He looked around to see anything else and noticed that they were in some kind of living room also. There were glass cases at the corners with katanas inside of them like some kind of collection. His father might have been obsessed with those. But it all just happened too fast.

"I'll take care of this." Another voice he heard coming from the inside of his head. He wasn't controlling his actions anymore as he automatically raised his hand to one of the glass cases. He pulled his hand by an inch and the sword flew to him, breaking the glass. He grabbed it with his left and unsheathed the sword with his right hand. He approached to one of them and cleanly slice through its neck and the head fell down. He pointed the other one with his pointing finger of his left, dropping the sheathe of the sword. With a simple flick of finger, the other body was thrown to the wall with an immense force that the bones in the body cracked all at once before hitting the wall. The right portion head was crushed immediately as blood and brain chunks scattered on the floor. The boy looked up to him.

"Are you alright?" Caleb asked, but his voice made the boy even scared. His voice had an echo as if a demon was speaking. It seems like two or more different voices were talking all at once. He quickly inhaled deeply as Caleb took control of his actions again. Icarus must have controlled me, he thought to himself. Just in time, Jill showed up inside with a gun aimed at the ready.

[I'm looking something you ought to see immediately.] Echo-four responded over her radio. She was in some kind of laboratory. She was looking through a glass window with an insanely large body covered with a blanket on the other side. It was at least 7-foot tall with dozens of IV's and apparatuses around it. She scanned more inside only to find its name: Dr. John Stanford.

[Where are you?] Echo-one replied again, sound a little annoyed this time.

[We're on the same floor. You could use your map.]

After a few seconds, slight footsteps were heard but Echo-four didn't react because she knew it was them. And they were. Echo-three was the first one to approach her and looked on the other side. Echo-four pointed the name as Echo-three felt his heart skipped a beat then suddenly raced.

"Dad." He murmured to himself.


	25. Showdown

Chapter 25

Showdown

Caleb approached the boy with a careful manner, enough not to startle him and make things from bad to worse. Jill lowered her gun and scanned the room thoroughly making sure none of them were left. She did see the massacre but wondered how that happened. She walked carefully and entered the room and checked every corner and stopped by the window. She looked outside and saw more crows gathering above the skies. It was getting dangerous every second that passed. She scanned the outside the outside and found Carlos guarding the main door of the house with Marcus covering him from the second floor with a sniper rifle.

"Are you alright?" Caleb asked again, finding himself pretty much dumbfounded from his previous question.

The boy only stirred himself and avoided any eye contact from the boy opposite of him. He was curled up in a corner feeling like it's the end of the world. But it probably is. He himself wasn't even sure if he still alive. He saw more of them outside so he just kept running around inside the house with his 'parents' following him.

Caleb asked the same question for the third time now, getting irritated now and stood up now. The boy finally looked at him with fear still in his eyes. His eyes followed the boy as he walked around the room and neared up to his female companion. They talked a little and left the room. Fear struck him again and his voice was finally brought up. "Wait!"

"Oh shit!" William Briggs exclaimed as he viewed the others from above the copper. Everyone was down except for David and Matthew who were petrified from their position. He scanned the area for possible enemies and found them. An unknown person is holding Alice in captive but there was still no movement. He reached for his headphone and contact Marcus back at the house but before he could touch is earphones, someone pushed him from behind. He fell but was able to grab the helicopter's landing skid however his sniper fell with a shattering sound. He quickly looked up and took a good peek at the culprit and surprised to see the unknown man in black. He looked back at where Alice was, seeing her on her knees but was already trying to stand up. He looked back again to the unknown man.

"How did he?" William asked himself in surprise.

However, behind the man was Eric Williams with a gun pointed at his skull ready to fire. One of the pilots removed his belt and took out his pistol from his holster and also pointed at the man. Suddenly a small metal ball was dropped from the enemy's hand and suddenly emits a large amount of smoke instantly.

"Damn…a smoke bomb!" Eric exclaimed. He could clearly see a faint streak of light coming from the smoke. "A knife..?" he crouched down instantly as he felt the swift slash of knife ran through the tip of his hair. He suddenly heard shriek coming from the co-pilot and could see blood all over his face. The chopper's movement was already wavering and he could clearly see blood on the windshield of the chopper. The pilot was surely dead. Suddenly a kick was delivered by the enemy. He was able to block it preventing from being hit in the face but he was thrown outside of the helicopter but grabbed the landing skid opposite of Briggs'. The helicopter's movement is predictable and starting to make for a crash on a house. Briggs could clearly see the enemy jumped on one of the roofs. The helicopter continued its way for the crash.

"Fuck!" Eric exclaimed under his breath.

Caleb and Jill got out of the house with a new addition, Aiden Crest. Jill showed him inside the house for him to meet the others aside from staying safe. Caleb stayed in front of the house and looked at the sky which is now clear of crows except for the smoke in Alice's direction which worries him a little. He noticed Marcus was already gone and could only think that he was on his way there.

Jordan and Thomas got out of the house and approached him. He smiled at them and looked back at the smoke.

"Where's that smoke coming from?" Jordan asked.

"I don't know yet but I'm sure it was Alice's direction. I'm sure Marcus Oliver is on his way there." Caleb replied.

"Should we back him up?" Thomas suggested, thinking there would be a negative response. He looked at Caleb who was still staring at the smoke with deafening silence.

"I think we should go." Caleb finally spoke. "Do you have your guns?"

"Yup!" Thomas and Jordan answered in unison.

Jill, Steve and Carlos were the only adults present with the younger ones. Most of them were still chatting with each other except Aiden who kept silent in a corner. He finally spoke up and said "Where's the boy who rescued me?" in a shy manner.

"They're probably upstairs." replied Jill, assuring him enough that they were safe although she was not entirely sure. She was actually worried at the back of her mind.

"I better check them." Steve spoke up. He left the room walked up the stairs and took a good look outside. "Shit, they aren't here." He thought to himself. He ran outside and looked in all directions. He saw some movement inside some of the houses and he concluded that it is already time for all of them to wake up.

He ran back to the basement and looked for Jill. "The three of them are gone."

The three of the boys are walking thoroughly through the silent street with their guns at the ready. Some already made their way out to the streets so they have to shoot them and make unnecessary gunshot noises. As they walked on something hard hit Caleb. There was something wrong within the area. A faint source of life was dwelling nearby. It stopped him in his tracks alerting the other two. The source was gone and would show up from time to time. It was following them and was sure that it wasn't normal. He knew well that this person is inside his range and could have detected him sooner. He concentrated a bit more and found out that there were two people. They are definitely within his range. Something might have been interrupting hi senses.

"Come out now!!" he shouted and looked at the house left of them. The others pointed their guns at it. "I know you two are there. I can sense you very well. I didn't what you did to interrupt it but it wasn't enough." He shouted again. He lifted a finger up and made a small fireball. "I won't hesitate to burn that house down." The two stared in amazement.

There was still no response from them. "Get in cover you two." He warned his comrades. He threw the fireball at the house and it exploded. The house was inferno and he knew Icarus was already controlling him. One of his eyes turned red and the other remained his natural deep blue color. For once they aren't dominating each other inside his body. Something wasn't right. There still life inside that inferno and it's the same signature. Two people came out and the fire didn't catch them. It's like there was an invisible force field protecting them. The fires just ran through the space, encircling them. They walked into open space and the fire circulating around them diminished and was soon gone.

They took a good look from them. Their faces were all too familiar. From he knows they were the ones responsible for some deaths at the quarantined area. In Caleb's mind is justice while in Icarus' is challenge. The other with the jet black wavy hair ran for cover, while the other with brown hair stood their. He looked a lot like him only with different eyes.

He pointed his gun at Adam. The other raised his arm. He shot all of his bullets out inside the clip but it stopped at mid-air. He now knew well that this person too is an experiment. The bullets fell and a massive amount of energy gathered in front of his hand. It was forming electric current that it was visible. He released it but was interrupted by a jet of water that was taken from the grass on the lawn. He shot out electrified jets of water to his opponent but was able to dodge it. He ran at the opposite direction and gathered lots of debris using a part of his telekinetic abilities. He threw all of them at him but was crushed the opposite force.

Adam thought of a counter attack. He slammed his palm on the ground and a large crack extended toward his enemy in a snake-like movement. The ground shook hard that large rocks popped out from the crack. Icarus understood the implementation of force that was delivered and imitated the attack with a larger amount of force. The two cracks met up in the middle of the road which caused a huge tremor that can be felt throughout the city. Dust obscured their sight and Icarus delivered a wind-slice that cut through the ground spikes and reached the Adam's spot, who was not there. He saw through the attack and evaded it effectively. He showed up a few meters at Icarus' right and blew a large amount of fire imitating his first attack. Fortunately, Icarus quickly used his telekinetic abilities to send a good amount of water from a nearby broken pipeline to interfere the attack. He then sent hundreds of tiny water jets from the used up water. It was followed by a large jet of water.

Adam dodged most of it except the larger one because of a homing effect, hitting him hard and causing him to roll on the ground. But before he could regain his balance, his enemy was already in front of him, about to deliver a kick but he quickly slammed his palm to the ground which formed a spike in front of him, causing Icarus to back out in his attack and withdrew a good amount of distance. He stood up as both experiments were still in a good shape to continue their battle.

Since Caleb wasn't completely dominated by Icarus' persona, he tried to sense the other and they were both fine. They ran back to the house's direction which probably is safer than continuing to Alice's direction because they weren't sure. He thought that it might have been Thomas' decision because he's the elder one.

Caleb's persona was still slowly being dominated by Icarus' since he needs more of his abilities in order to defeat the threat. He also sensed that his companion was still nearby. He could clearly feel that he's a bit more exhausted than before. Calling huge amounts of energy for Icarus' telekinetic ability took a lot out of them. He was sure it was the same for the opposite side.

Steve could surely feel the tremor that had just hit the area. He was on one of knees. It was followed by another making him more worried about the others back at the house. They should have gotten out of the basement now. He scanned the area for anything out of ordinary and had just found it. Two boys were running to his direction with panicked faces painted on them. He stared at them both enough to realize what they had done wrong before looking at the smoke's direction. There were now two places where smoke is coming from.

"What is happening?! Where's Caleb?!" Steve asked the two.

"Caleb was left behind because he was fighting someone." Thomas replied after catching his breath.

"What?!" Steve shrieked in confusion. "Get back to the house now! Jill will handle the both of you! Be careful on the way, you're both in deep shit you know that!"

Steve cautiously ran towards the direction of the nearer smoke. The whole area was in total confusion and the infected ones running around the place only made it worse. Most people would probably dead by now and more will be. The place would be overrun by them and they have to get the hell out of the place quickly unless they want to join them. Making matters worse is his nephew was fighting and he knows very well now what some of his nephew's capabilities are. He kept running forward until he could saw the fire that was spreading in the area.

Alice stood up as she glared upon the person in black on top of the roof of one of the houses. He was obviously staring at her and there's no doubt about it. He jumped down to the ground and started walking towards her. He was still in a good distance away from her but she knew to well that there is no escape from this mysterious person. She grabbed the small pistol strapped into her boots and fired the first bullet. It obviously missed him because he was now out of her sight. She scanned her front before checking her back. He was nowhere to be found until she noticed the small shadow near her own. She quickly strafed backwards as he fell on the spot with two short swords on each hand. A part of her cloak has a slice on it, under her right ribs specifically. She quickly took aim and fire but he jumped too quickly above her and let go of his swords from above. She dodged it was caught off guard. He was already on the floor making a low sweep kick that hit her left shin making her flip forward landing on her back hard. She took another aim and shot again but obviously missed but made the enemy back a good distance away from her. Seeing this chance, she stood up but the enemy was just too fast. He was already back in front of her ready to deliver another blow which was now impossible to block. He hit her hard on the stomach and following up another under her left rib. She was thrown backwards and rolled on the floor.

She coughed up and could see blood on her palm. The effect was now starting to show as the blows ravaged some parts of her body. She was obviously no match against her opponent. She knew that she would be unconscious in a few seconds as she laid down her head on the cold cemented street floor, looking away from the enemy. She could see someone showing up, Marcus Oliver. "Shit…"

Adam could now clearly see his enemy. His skin was dead gray with fiery red eyes and sharp teeth. He realized he was already fighting a monster now not a person unlike before. He doesn't have the advantage of this fight and he knows that very well indeed. His enemy doesn't even have a scratch on him while he already had a few bruises and scratches. A part of his cloth was completely torn off. His enemy's movement drastically changed as his speed rose and some of his attacks were now completely unblockable. It was now mixed with his telekinetic abilities which also made things worse. He can now leave images of him from his previous fight making the battle more confusing. He looked at his enemy as his image faded away into nothingness.

"Damn!!"

He just showed up from behind ready to strike. He blocked the strike with his right elbow but he could practically feel his bones dislocate from its proper position and emit pain throughout his body. He turned around counter-clockwise and delivered a high sweep by his left leg. It was almost a hit but the image faded away too. He showed up in front of him but he tried to strike it but it was also an image. He then noticed three head-sized fireballs coming from three different directions. His momentum from his previous kick let him continue his spin and used his raw telekinetic ability to shield himself from the flames. As he scanned the area for the enemy a huge ground spike popped out of his right side. He dodged it by moving backwards but his enemy was on top of the spike. He delivered a kick but Adam dodged it effectively. He dropped to the other side of the spike and kicked it, shattering the spike which headed for Adam. He grabbed hold of it but the force still sent him a few feet backwards. The enemy was nowhere to be found again. Pain still was emitted again by his devastated elbow.

The enemy just appeared from his back and deliver another high kick which he effectively dodged by rolling forward. He threw the spike at the enemy but he only caught it and the image faded away. He stood up as the spike reappeared from his left which headed straight for him. He dodged it again by moving backwards but another spike appeared coming from his back. He was caught off guard by this time and it hit him really hard on his lower spine. He was thrown forward. But before he could land on the ground, the enemy in appeared at his side kicking him straight to the chest sending him straight to the wall of one of the houses. He couldn't breathe properly and his lower body was paralyzed by the spike. The battle was hopeless but decided he should try that one.


	26. Showdown part 2

Chapter 26

Showdown part 2

Jill and Carlos felt the tremor as the lights blink on and off. The children panicked and their faces were pale. Everyone was in panic except for the new boy. He just looked up the ceiling as it shakes off its dust as more tremors came from somewhere else.

"Jill, it's not safe anymore for us to stay here. We better get ourselves upstairs, or better yet outside. We don't want getting trapped here." Carlos finally said. Jill agreed on as she took the first steps up the stairs.

"It's clear" she said as the others followed her. She ran outside and looked once again into the skies. It was safe from crows and she could now clearly see two area where in the smoke was coming from. She was pretty sure Steve is on his way there.

"I think we should go home now." Max said to her sister. "Lyle and Dad might be…"

"You're right and we have no choice either we have to stay with them if we want to be safe." Nikki replied. "We should ask those two to check if Lyle and dad are ok."

"You're right. But as soon as we know they're okay. We should-"

"No! Even if they're okay it's better to stay here than leave them." Nikki said cutting him off. She knows very well that his brother doesn't want to stay with their half-brother Jordan and she doesn't want that either. However, she also knows the fact that they should think of something to survive too and this is they only way she could think of.

Max settled down as he sat to one of chairs. He looked around as he saw the place was pretty much devastated by the flock of crows. The whole place was pretty much a mess. He looked to the other boy who was standing by the window. He was still quite yet there something different about him. He stepped beside him.

"Hi..." he said but the boy looked at him and stared back into the open space.

He too stared outside and scanned anything gout of familiar. There was smoke coming from two different places. Jill and Carlos were talking outside, looking too at the smoke. He was sure they're thinking of something. Four of their companions were gone and so does Steve to retrieve them. He turned around and went back to her sister sitting on the couch together with Ashley and Angela. Those three are pretty much close together now. But he himself has no one to talk except for her sister. If Lyle was with him by now things would have been better. But if they didn't survive, he would have to accept his new brother.

Echo-five stared at the monstrosity before him. He was definitely huge now but it must have been a mistake. He cannot be as big as that, he was definitely human, not until now. He grabbed back his rifle and aimed at its head. He knew what to do as this monstrosity cannot live anymore longer whether it's his father or not. He doubted it was even him but with a bit of a psycho his father was, it is far from impossible. He switched off the safety as he rolled on the compressor on his rifle. Echo-four saw this but didn't care. She knew too well it would be better if that thing was killed plus she knew it might be a family problem. Echo-five aimed steady at the head as he was ready to fire any second. He was still in doubt but it has to be done. His father always gave him whatever he wanted but hasn't been himself lately especially after the Raccoon City incident. He was on the verge of killing his own loving father but he didn't even know the other side of the story. He was surely in doubt but the mission is the mission. They are to finish the mission in order make a good thing out of this. The last one was considered a failure but their team leader blamed Nero for that. He was about to pull the trigger when the monitor of a nearby computer began to blink.

"Sedative feed. Automatic Shut-off." It says. He was startled.

"IV feed. Automatic shut-off." It said again. He was mesmerized. The others were alert now.

"T-Virus feed. Automatic Shut-off. Anti-Virus feed. Automatic Shut-off. Receiving orders…Icarus 2 Program now activating."

"Shit! Shit! SHIT!" Echo-five said under his breath. This is very bad. He looked again at the monitor as he saw the feed information was rapidly dropping. The huge thing began to stir as it opened its eyes. "Guys, we might want to back-off."

"Proceed to formation 2. Suppressing tactics now!" Echo-one ordered

"Roger that!"

"Affirmative."

The Echo team scrambled through the hallway as they began to hear consecutive shots coming from Echo-five's rifle. The door slammed open as Echo-five was literally thrown out of it. He slammed again the wall and dropped on the floor. He was fine and far from being out of the fight but he was barely standing. He began to stir as Echo-three threw a Flash bang grenade into the room. The bomb blew as it released its ear-piercing scream. There was no reaction as the huge thing slammed through the doorway and continued towards Echo-five. He was able to roll in time as the thing slammed through the thick wall. Echo-two quickly threw a High-Explosive grenade inside the huge wall. The loud boom went off as Echo-three rolled in front of the hole and quickly makes an aim. There was nothing there. There was another loud slamming sound as the monster slammed again to the far side of the wall and ran towards Echo-one grabbing him. Echo-three aimed for the feet and started firing while Echo-two, being the most accurate, made aim with his sniper rifle and shot the arm holding their teammate. The bullet went through and at the side of the head, making a minor wound to the monster. The thing growled in pain as it slammed its victim on the wall. It was about pound Echo-one when Echo-four was just in time to through her knife as it hits the right eye of the monster. Echo-one was dropped but they weren't sure if he was fine or not. He was still whole but barely conscious. He was coughing a little as grabbed back his rifle. Echo-five, who is now standing up, threw a flash-bang grenade in front of their opponent's face. It blew off making another ear-shattering scream, making it step back. It was an opportunity as Echo-one rolled towards his teammates as they give him cover fire. They mainly hit the body making it step backwards more. Echo-two make an aim for the knee and fired quickly. The armor-piercing round went through the thing's kneecap making it fall down on one knee.

"Damn!" Echo-one said as he complimented the sheer pain on his back. He grabbed his rifle back and made a hand signature. Echo-two aimed for the head and fired. The thing was knocked back as it made a hard thud on the floor. It was barely conscious but was still moving. Suddenly out of nowhere, a drone popped out of nowhere at started firing at them. The team just dodged just in time and dived for cover, barely hitting the. Echo-four, being the one with the light-weight armor and the most agile made a surprise attack and fired a barrage of bullets at it. Every bullet hit as the drone had a minor explosion at the back of it as it fell on the cold floor. The thing stood up again as the bullet was sitting in a hole on its forehead. It plucked the bullet out as the hole started to close fast. Its body spat out the other bullets on it as the thing began a painful mutation. The muscles on the arm and thighs began growing at fast rate. The arm size was doubled as it grew bigger than its original size. Its mouth grew wider and sharper and bigger teeth were now shown. The head was now more vicious than before as it stood over seven feet now. The light brown mutated flesh became darker in color and the hands grew huge claws and the feet had now talons.

"That's fucking big!" Echo-two complimented.

It roared out a savage scream as it charged for the Echo-team that was at the opposite end of the hall. Echo-four quickly threw an explosive buggy on the floor as it was accidentally stepped by the huge monster. It blew the thing off to the ceiling making a loud thud on the ceiling. It fell down as the ceiling gave out, falling on the huge monstrosity.

"Good work." Echo-one said, complimenting Echo-four's reaction. "We better get out of here. I'm sure the facility is well aware now that people have infiltrated their building. The mission is a failure but it would rather act as a reconnaissance mission because of the new Intel we have."

The other nodded their head as they made their way back to the stairs and head back to the rooftop. The debris rumbled as the huge monster stood up again as they slow sneak out. They saw the monster as it charge aimlessly at them again.

"Fuck!"

Adam stood up as he pulled his elbow so it could mend properly. The pain sent a painful shock throughout his body. He shrieked in pain as he scanned again the area for his enemy. He was still nowhere to be found. Philip was still nearby but unsure whether he should help or not. It's a battle where in he would only be a huge nuisance to his friend. Caleb on the other hand was now completely unconscious as Icarus took over his body. Icarus was watching Adam from a good distance. He had blended well in his surroundings and Adam will have a hard time detecting him. Power rages through his body as he looked up to a good challenge. He was far from losing but he was from winning either. As far as he knows, his enemy was giving a good fight to him. He pretty sure he can't be detected easily. He could have detected him sooner but in his current state he would have a hard time. Suddenly Adam was able to take a good look at him as he reached out his good arm with a firmly closed fist.

He could obviously feel the huge amount of energy being fixed upon his closed fist. There was an alarming amount of aura around him as it rages on with his surroundings. His closed fist began to glow uncontrollably as some of the debris began to float and hover around him. A few more seconds, electric currents began to appear as the power that is being charged in his fist grew exponentially. Icarus was definitely stunned as Adam gazed upon his cold-blooded eyes. He began to move as fast as he could, trying to confuse his enemy with his movement and finally approaching from the side with a bone shattering kick. His enemy was able to dodge as he crouched. The enormous amount of energy was getting to him. Icarus' momentum continued as he spins continuously and delivered more kicks. Adam just backed off quickly as Icarus approached him faster than he could. Icarus was trying to prevent the alarming rate of his enemy's increasing energy. Adam reached out with his other unoccupied arm as Icarus neared him. There was a suddenly flash of blinding light with a good amount of force coming out of it. Icarus was thrown backwards as he was dazed from the flash of light. The energy that was in Adam's fist was now as strong as a nuclear bomb and a meltdown was not far away.

Icarus began to resort to long distance attacking as he tried to control the natural elements by manipulating the implementation of force, temperature and also with the use of his psychic abilities. He started to run around as he delivered more attacks at Adam. He kept throwing fireballs and water jets coming from broken pipelines. However, the energy was now so massive that his attacks disintegrate before it could even reach its target. Icarus quickly slammed his palm in to the ground repeatedly in different positions as the cracks approach the enemy in an all out manner.

Adam finally opened his palm as he was about to release the massive amount of energy. However, the earth cracks got to him as he fell on one of his knees and the disruption of his plan was a success. Instead of blowing on the spot, the massive amount of energy was shot off upwards towards space. The people all around the city watched in amazement as a blinding light slowly reaches the atmosphere. It was definitely a big mistake because the ball of energy was shot upwards. The two enemies face off once again as light shines on them all.

Jill, Carlos and the kids finally got out of the house as they heard a loud bang coming from a distance. They saw the blinding light as it reaches towards the atmosphere. Jill and Carlos knew this was definitely as bad thing to happen. It was still unknown but a powerful explosion in the atmosphere could cause and EMP bomb-like effect on the ones under it. If every electrical object will be down in the area, they would be force to escape the city on foot and it will be one of the worst things to happen.

"Fuck, this is just great!" Carlos exclaimed.

"Yeah you're right, we better get the hell out of this place before that thing might blow up above. It will be like an EMP bomb and we can't move properly. We have to escape NOW!" Jill said quickly. She was definitely nervous about this one. They might have escaped the Raccoon City incident but this is just the beginning.

"What about the others?" Ashley asked.

"I'm sorry, but they will be considered as MIA"

"MIA?" asked Max asked out of curiosity.

"It means Missing in Action." Carlos said.

"No! It can't be!" Ashley exclaimed as she remembered her brother. "We can't live them!"

"No!" Jill said. "If they're alive and well, they're smart enough to survive since Steve is with them, hopefully."

"What about Alice?" Angela asked.

"She can do it. She's one tough bitch." Jill said with a smile.

Adam fall on his knees as his strongest attack was now gone and it took all of his energy to do that. He was definitely out of it. He was able to dodge the crack as he looked above the light abandoning him. It was his only hope as he was gone. He tried to stand up as Icarus didn't bother to think as he approached him. A few blows were given as he blocked but one definitely hit his stomach. He backed off a few steps as Icarus approached more, keeping up the distance and giving a few more blows. Two hits his face and another one was laid on his stomach. He was definitely in pain. Then suddenly, a kick hit him hard at the side. Icarus spun, throwing more of his previous momentum a delivered an ax kick at the side of his head. He was thrown on the ground as Icarus mercilessly pound him top the ground. He could definitely feel of his ribs crack. He rolled backwards as he tried to stand up again. He can't use anymore psychic abilities but he could still definitely land a few more hits on his enemy. He tried to make a move but Icarus suddenly blinked in front of him with an open palm as a sudden flick of energy was sent out from it. He was thrown upward as Icarus quickly grabbed one of his legs and slammed him to the ground with all of his might. The ground cracked as he threw up a small amount of blood. Icarus pounded him on the ground with a few more hits before jumping in the air and finally hit him with one last pound straight at the chest. Adam coughed up more blood. Most of ribs were broken and there was a huge crater under him. His eyes were rolled upwards and there was a lot of blood came out of his mouth. He was unconscious but still alive. Icarus definitely defeated an experiment. He too lost a vast amount of energy as he could feel his muscles weakening before his body gave out. He lost consciousness as he fell on top of Adam.

The blinding light above finally slowed down as it exploded in the atmosphere. It was as bright as the sun and it shows some hope to some but a failure to a few.


	27. Hopeless

Chapter 27

Hopeless

Phillip sneaked around as the area finally calmed down. He looked carefully at the thousands of debris that was scattered on the cold ground. Step by step he sneaked up beside the bodies of the two fallen warriors. The unknown boy was on top of his friend who is now still unconscious. His eyes were still rolled back and blood was still fresh on his lips. It was unimaginable that another person could defeat someone as powerful as him. It seems like it was a tie since both fell down as both of their bodies were badly battered by one another.

As the young lad snooped at the lifeless bodies he gazed upon the destruction that was inflicted. The ground was covered with small craters and pipelines hosed their water on the muddy earth. It was like it was been hit by a tornado. The destruction could have only been done by armed men yet this was only done by two young boys. He was amazed at the same time scared by the would-be fate of his friend. He doesn't even know if he was still alive. This went to his mind roughly as he sneaked closely to the unconscious boys. He lowered his hand on Adam's neck. He still felt the slow pulse on him. He was even more surprised when Adam began to stir. His eyes slowly closed as he began to breathe more freely. A few seconds later, he finally opened his eyes.

Phillip automatically came to his senses as he pushed the boy on top of Adam aside. The body automatically rolled over on his back. His face was an innocent as an angel and was still unconscious too. He helped Adam slowly as the other boy began to cough up blood on his palm.

"Oh my God! Are you alright?" Phillip said hysterically.

Adam only looked at him with pain in his eyes. He did not even bother to try to answer. He slowly stood up on his feet as he stared down on his fallen enemy. He just stared him as he approved of his inevitable loss. He pushed his urge to use this chance to kill him aside. Phillip on the other hand grabbed one of his companion's arms and put it over his shoulder. Adam groaned from the slight pain he felt. Phillip acted quickly as he removed his arm from his shoulder.

"I'm fine!" Adam quickly said defensively. Phillip calmed down some but was still worried from Adam's current status. He was quickly alarmed when Adam suddenly fell on one of his knees. Phillip began to panic as he murmured some things Adam can't understand. Or maybe his hearing was going bad from the disastrous fight. Phillip quickly knelt on his knee to assist Adam. He coughed up more blood than before as Phillip began to panic more. There was surely pain in his eyes as he looked back. He tried to stand back again as Phillip carefully aid his friend. They both stood up once again and slowly walked away from the other lifeless body.

"Freeze!" said somebody suddenly from there back. They automatically stopped the moment their brain analyzed it. They turned around with hands up except for Adam whose arm was still on Phillip's shoulder. They turned around and looked at the blonde-haired man with a gun pointed at them. He slowly walked near the lifeless body and looked at it for a second before they saw him whispered something.

"Please help us sir." Phillip quickly said before the man could ever say something.

"What happened here?" the man asked. Phillip began to think of another excuse for both of them to get to safety.

"There was something here a while ago. That thing made this." He said pointing to the area. "My friend here managed to hurt it and got away but he got hurt in the process and so is that boy over there."

"What thing?" Steve asked again. "Was the tremor caused by that?"

"Yes sir," Phillip replied. "Can you please help us? Both of them are very hurt. I don't know how to assist them."

Steve stared at them for a moment. Something was telling him something but he can't remember it fully. The two boys seemed to be too innocent but there was still something that making him doubt the two boys. He lowered his gun and himself over Caleb's body. He checked his pulse and there was. It was calm as if he was only asleep and it only seemed that he was currently unconscious. He quickly put his gun inside his holster and carried Caleb on his back. The boy was fairly heavy and it doesn't bother him much. He looked at the two boys again who was still staring at him back. It was weird at the same time there was an urge to help the boys since there were at need.

"I am a human being so I think it would be better if both of you boys come with us." Steve began. It lit hope in Phillip's mind. Adam was silent but he too knew that it would be risky if only the two of them venture in the city filled with those things. Adam was wary that Phillip doesn't have much experience when it comes with guns and he didn't give him any chance even if there was a lot along the way. "Can you carry your friend there? I think that we could move faster if you carry him."

Adam nodded and Phillip carefully grabbed him and carried him on his back. He was very careful since he knew that Adam was injured. Finally, Adam was on his back, with his eyes closed as if was sleeping. Adam didn't weigh much since his body was pretty much like Caleb's and they were of the same height and seemed like age. He suddenly thought that Adam was too short for his age. He could remember that Adam told him that he was only a few months old since he was an experiment. But in reality the two boys who fought looked alike a lot. It seemed that the two were twins and he was amazed at the resemblance.

"We have to get to the house first." Steve began. "I think it would be much safer if we stayed with the others. I guess I have to trust the soldiers for Alice's safety."

The two began to walk towards the direction of the house, skipping over the huge debris the two of them made. The place was really a total mess and it would take a LOT of work to get that back to normal. There were some banging on some of the front doors coming from the inside. It seems that it was really time for them to wake up and wreak havoc. It seems that the way back won't be uneventful and dangerous.

Marcus Oliver finally made it to the area. Alice was laying the cold floor and there was a fire on one of the houses. The place was a disaster and his comrades were now unconscious including Alice. There were no suspects to be seen in the scenario and it was like ghost town. He quickly rushed at Alice's side. Rachelle, David, and Matthew were unconscious too. Neo was groaning on the floor with a bad gunshot. "What happened here?" Marcus asked. Neo just pointed at his back. Marcus quickly looked and there was a sudden swipe, he quickly drew his Swiss knife on his side and blocked the attack. A masked man in a black coat suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He broke the clash and did a series of swipes on the opponent who dodged it effectively. The enemy drew a short thin sword-like object from his back and reversed the handling f his knife on his left. He suddenly made a rush for it and began to spin, giving confusing blows which he block with his knife. The enemy continued to spin, using his bladed weapon this time. He blocked some and dodged more. It was more dangerous this time and it can't be helped. A high sweep suddenly came from the opponent, hitting him solid in the face. He was thrown in the air by two meters. It was suddenly flash and he can't believe it. The opponent suddenly dashed under him, facing back to back. He suddenly spun and delivered a kick hitting him square on his side. He was thrown away from the opponent. It all happened too fast. He used the momentum and continued to spin and used it to quickly stand up. He quickly drew his gun on his leg and aimed for his opponent. He was surprised when the enemy suddenly appeared before him and slashed his gun upwards, throwing out of his hand. He suddenly did a dropkick which caused him to fall backwards. He quickly recovered by rolling back to quickly standing up. The enemy landed with a series of cartwheels followed by back flips causing him to withdraw a good amount of distance. The enemy was well trained in extreme martial arts and he could only do back with his profession on his knife-play. He drew another knife and made a run towards his opponent. The other did the same and they met in the middle. The enemy jumped over him which caused him to roll forwards drawing his spare gun in the process. As soon as he stood up, he quickly made the aim but the enemy was nowhere to be found. He quickly rolled forward again just in time as the enemy appeared at his back delivering a piercing strike. He dodged effectively and did a counter attack by performing a low sweep. The enemy only did a front flip to evade it and upon his landing, he quickly kicked his chest sending them both in opposite directions. His gun and knife on his left hand was thrown away from him. Marcus didn't recovered this time as the air was literally kicked out of his body. He slowly stood up as the enemy waited for him with crossed arms.

"What do you want from us?" Marcus began ask, not knowing what will happen next. He was trying to distract his opponent as he carefully reached for his hidden knife at his back. There was only silence which made the risk larger. The enemy suddenly blinked in before him as he was thrown back. He recovered again by rolling back reaching for his last knife at his back but it was now gone. As he stood up, a knife was thrown towards him. He deflected it with his knife on the right hand, causing it to flip in the air and finally grabbing it. He examined carefully as he found a feint green substance that covered the knife. It was his and he was sure of it. The enemy was really fast to steal his knife and even coated it with this unknown substance. He quickly got up and ran towards his opponent, not thinking clearly. He delivered quick knife swipes towards his opponent who only deflected it with his short swords. It was a matter of give and take as the two showed each other their expertise. Marcus spun suddenly did a feint which was taken by the enemy then delivered a low kick causing the enemy to fall. The opponent landed on his right hand and delivered a high kick with his left leg which Marcus blocked. It was then followed by another kick from below with his free leg causing Marcus to fall down hard on his back. The enemy quickly withdrew a good amount of distance resuming his cross-armed position, standing tall and proud.

Marcus was hopeless as he looked to the sky, he noticed a bright light. He thought another military force decided to launch another N-2 Missile to blow the whole place up. He slowly closed his eyes, thinking that it was too late and the whole city he tried to protect will be destroyed in a matter of seconds. The enemy was too strong and he guessed that he too will be obliterated by the coming explosion. A few seconds later, he heard the explosion which sounded too distant. He opened his eyes as he saw the bright light as it illuminated the sky. He saw the enemy who too stared upwards. He noticed his gun neared him and used this chance to grab it. He quickly grabbed it and aimed for the opponent and fire. BANG!

Steve and company finally made it to the house. There was an eerie thought in his mind until he noticed that the van was gone. He panicked for a moment and calmed down some later on. He quickly walked in a fast-paced motion inside the house and found Thomas and Jordan inside with guns aimed at him.

"Do I look like them?" Steve complimented of their wariness.

"We are just being careful." Thomas said.

"What happened to him?" asked Jordan, pointing at Caleb.

"Long story, we have companions and they will be staying with us." Steve said just in time as the other two came in. The other two quickly made an aim. Phillip has his hands up with Adam still asleep on his back. The two boys lowered the aim as soon as they realized that they were human. Phillip too, lowered his hand as Steve lowered Caleb on a seat who was still knocked out. "I guess you can tell us your names now since its safe."

"I'm Phillip Baxter." Phillip replied without a doubt. "And this is Adam, my cousin, who was also knocked out by that thing."

"What thing?" Jordan suddenly asked, showing off his curiosity.

"I can't describe it, I know it was huge and really a monster." Phillip said, still making lies for their safety. "It knocked both of them out."

"What do you mean there were knocked out. Is anyone of them infected?"

"I don't think so. That boy only fainted and Adam was knocked unconscious. He was only bruised and battered but there weren't any wounds. So I think that they are not infected at all."

"Good. Now we just have to find a way to get out of here." Steve said. "I know they will be heading east since they are safer there and so shall we."

"What about Alice?" Thomas asked. It caught Adam's attention causing him to open his eyes. He quickly hopped off from Phillip's back and almost fell back but Phillip was there to support him. It caught their attention as Steve handed Adam a seat.

"Are you fine now?" Phillip asked.

"I guess so."

As soon as the commotion was back off, he answered Thomas' question about Alice's situation. "I guess we have to trust Alice's safety on the military."

"He looked a lot like Caleb!" Jordan quickly said, pointing at Adam. This caused the others to look at the two of them. Steve was the most shocked as he watched in amazement. Adam just stared at Jordan for his exposure as Jordan noticed his emerald green eyes. There was only a slight difference between the two as the others looked back and forth on both of their faces. Caleb was still innocently sleeping as Adam just kept silent. The other too noticed that they had different color of eyes.

"I don't want to be center of attention right now." Adam suddenly said which caused the others to stop looking at him. "I'm more interested in getting out of here."

"We can hot wire another nearby vehicle and make our way out."

"Vehicles don't work right now, especially after that explosion. It means that the others who left before you are also stuck inside the city."

"Why won't it work?" Steve asked suddenly in confusion.

"It's the light the exploded above us. It reached the atmosphere where in it caused an EMP bomb effect and fried all the electric circuits below it. Only special vehicles can withstand those kinds of effects and I don't think we can afford to find one right now. In short, it will be hard to get out of here." Adam replied, stunning all of them.

"You know too much for a kid, don't you know?"

"I'm no kid. I'm an experiment like him." Adam explained, pointing at Caleb. This caused Phillip to panic since Adam blew their cover. "I'm only a few months old and actually my friend lied to you in exchange for our safety and unnecessary nuisance. I caused that explosion but it was an accident because it was actually intended for Caleb."

"So you two caused that destruction?"

"Yes. He was the first one to attack us when we were inside the house. Those two boys are good proofs of this. The truth is I lost the brawl but it took a lot out of him which caused him to fall unconscious. I don't intend to kill him at all and we were planning to leave him until you came."

"If that is true then it means that you are responsible for the death of Major Robinsons, am I right?"

"Yes but this is not the good time to fight over this since we don't have to waste much time. We have to get out of here. Besides, I only did it because I was more interested in Alice."

"Alice?"

"Yes, before I awoke, something always whispers inside my head, telling that Alice had some answers. So I decided to escape the facility and try to find her."

"Fine, since I am not the law, I won't care for your wrong doings but you are right. We have to get out of here first and let Jill and Alice take care the two of you."

"Thank very much sir." Adam finally replied before leaning back on his seat. He noticed Caleb moved a bit then opened his eyes.

Carlos drove the van as the light still shined brightly above them. Together with him were Jill, Aiden, Ashley, Angie, Max and Nikki. Carlos was at full speed when they heard a sudden explosion followed by a slight tremor. The van slowed down before coming to a complete halt.

"Fuck! We aren't even halfway out of here!" Jill said. It was now more dangerous as they have to get out safely on foot, especially now that it will be dark within a few hours.

"Calm down Jill!" Carlos said calmly. "Anyone here knows who will be willing to fight. I vote for the two boys."

"It is fine by me." said Max. Aiden just only nodded his head. Ashley raised her hand followed by Nikki. Angie will be the only one that won't be fighting this time. All of them quickly got out and rounded at the back of the van. Carlos handed them their weapons respectively with holsters. They were all equipped with handguns and knife complete with a holster and three extra clips. Angie would be staying with Jill at all times but all of them won't go much far from one another. They have to travel and barricade house as soon as the darkness comes in.

Nikki approached Carlos. "Our house is just on the other side of this block. Do you mind if we check it?"

"I guess so. Were there anyone you left over there?"

"My brother Lyle and dad were there. Lyle was still fine when we left but dad was feeling uneasy before we got out. You think they might be?"

"We won't know for sure yet. I'll tell Jill wait here." Nikki stayed as he watched Carlos left her. He looked at the others who were watching some of them at a safe distance. She thought that they were brainless idiots who only wanted food, but she thought differently. There might be another goal aside from food. She thought that if those things wanted food, then they won't be leaving any leftovers that would live later on. Carlos approached her from the back as she looked back at him. "It's fine. We will go there and stay there for a while. Jill received a message from Claire a few minutes before the system was down. She said that they pinpointed our location and will be coming in a chopper."

"That's good!" Nikki said in delight. "Can we go now?"

Carlos raised his hand and gave them the signal to round up for the plan. As soon as they were now near enough, he began to explain for their battle plan. "We are going to barricade their house. Nikki, Max and I will lead. Jill will be on the rear and Angie will ALWAYS be on the middle. Ashley and Aiden will be on opposite sides. Do you all get it? A recue chopper is on its way here and will fire a flare to catch their attention.

They nodded their heads and approached their given formation. They cautiously walk towards their goal. Aiden suddenly ran towards the three of them and hit one at the chin with a powerful strike causing a bad crack on its neck. He quickly spun and delivered a strike on chest of the thing beside the first. He continued his spin delivered a low sweep on the other one causing it to spin in the air and landed on the neck, breaking it. He jogged backwards carefully returning to the formation.

"Nice moves." Carlos complimented. Aiden only smiled back. They resumed their forward move. Gunshots were clearly heard in the area as it attracts more of them. It was risky but it was better than killing them hand to hand like Aiden was doing. His weapons were always at their proper holsters and always approach them with hand to hand combat. He always aimed for either the neck or the chest. It would usually end up with a bad crack. Jill noticed the developing muscles on his arms since Aiden was wearing a fitted shirt and khaki shorts. It was too casual and simple yet what he can do was stunning. Aiden kept himself like this and so far he doesn't let his guard down but it did usually call Carlos' or Jill's attention.

On the other hand, Max and Nikki were doing well for first timers. They try to hit their heads as much as possible. Max had more headshots as time passes on, they were getting tired and their hands were starting to get sore from all the recoil the gun kept doing. Angie still stayed beside Jill at all times. She was the most protected since she was the youngest and would only use the weapon in case of emergency. They were getting closer and closer as more of them come from different directions. They were like trapped in hell as they were starting to get surrounded as they move on. The quickened their pace but the huge number was just getting bigger. It was starting to get hopeless and staying in a house wouldn't do any good anymore. The vehicles were now unavailable and it would take a few hours to get out of the big city. The so called sanctuary eventually fell down as the virus spread farther and farther. Faster and faster, there are more of them that came back to life. Finally, the house was in complete view as they make a run for it. Aiden was now on the front lines as he took them out with ease. He drew his gun and finally made quick head shots. It calls for a desperate situation now. Aiden just started to use his gun as the other were now almost out of ammo.

Aiden stayed on the front door and defend with every more he can make. His expertise on Martial Arts were now clearly seen as he did more stunning moves and stunts that left some of his companions in complete awe. He even jumped from head to head through their shoulders. Some ended up having their heads turned in the wrong direction before their body finally fell down. Max got to the door first as he opened it quickly. Surprisingly, his father was now one of them and was just about to grab him.

"Duck!" he heard from a voice below. His instincts followed him as a high kick hit the face of his attacker. He heard the crack as the body was thrown backwards on the floor. The other finally made it as they sheltered themselves inside the house. They quickly get all the furniture they could get to barricade the doors and windows. Banging from outside can now be heard as some quickly ran upstairs and barricaded the other windows. They checked all the possible places any of them can get in. They blocked even the basement just to be sure. They just have to survive here until rescue comes and get them to safety.

Caleb finally opened his eyes and groggily looked around until he saw the familiar face. He quickly drew Steve's gun in a flash and aimed it at Adam's forehead who had his knife poking at Caleb's vital spot. Everyone was frozen at their place as they saw the scenario. Caleb closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger…BANG!


	28. Heartless

Chapter 28

Heartless

The slams on the door weren't countable anymore. They were stuck in a cage waiting for a slight chance of rescue. Even if there was, they will have a hard time getting out of the house since it was now surrounded by those creatures that made the whole situation more complicated. Aiden and Carlos were trying their best to push back on the front and back doors. Jill ran to the terrace of the house to fend off their attackers. Nikki was still shocked to find his dad dead cold on the floor, also turned into one of them. The only question now is where is her little brother Lyle. He was still nowhere to be found, not even his body or any clue to help them assume to something.

The doors started to crack as its strength diminished every time it was pounded by their attackers. Aiden started to back off a little, readying to fend them off with his fist. He drew his gun as he prepared himself for the worst possible situation. He tried to be calm as much as possible since panicking won't do anything good. But it was such a failure to him to just run around when he was attacked by his parents back home. It was such a coward act to him but now is not the time to think of that. It was the time to act and protect his new companions. It was easy for him to adjust but kept silent all the time. He was perfectly fit for preteen and a good way to test it is to survive. They just have to last in that house before the rescue chopper arrives. One of the windows broke as one of them crawled in. Aiden was the nearest so he ran to it and kicked it square on the face. The head turned as it cracked in a painful way. He backed off a little, readying himself to kick the next one that comes in.

Carlos was still trying hard to suppress the weight on the other side. More of them were gathering on the front door. Naturally, they won't be as strong as this since their bodies were starting to decay due to the mutation from the virus. However, they combined weight was causing a pain in the ass to him. Jill was still upstairs trying to help by shooting of the terrace. Also it serves as a safe spot to climb the incoming chopper so it must be protected the most. Ashley just came down to check the two guys only to find that the rear part of the house was now open for attack. Aiden was present there, doing the best he could to push them back off. Flurries of swift kicks and sweeps were delivered to keep them off their foot since it would be best that way. Max on the other hand tried to shoot from the windows upstairs. He went to his room since the front of the house would be seen. Jill told him to throw a grenade in front of the house to cause damage to their huge numbers. So pulled off the ring and released the grenade on the front yard and a few seconds later it blew off. It caused a slight tremor and as he looked outside from the window, he could literally see guts on their front yard. Suddenly something moved from his back. He quickly turned and aimed his gun for the closet. He quickly went to it and opened the closet door. "LYLE!"

The huge monster quickly rushed in towards the Echo-team. Echo-four being the agile one were specially equipped with weapons similar to a ninja's. She was like a modern ninja that relies on her agile and quick movements with very precise and accurate attacks. She quickly grabbed a few of her shurikens and quickly threw it at the charging enemy. It hit all of the intended spots perfectly in order to weaken the motion of the monstrosity. However, it didn't have any effect on it and continuously charged at their team. The other four on her back scramble as she charged towards their attacker with no fear. She quickly jumped towards the wall and pushed her body towards the opposite wall. She did this continuously, elevating her position enough to judge. She spread her body apart pushed against both walls to let herself stay on the ceiling. As soon as the enemy got passed her, she jumped down and rolled on the floor, drawing her dual action pistols in the process. She quickly made a turn and start firing at will, hitting the enemy at the back. It just grunted a bit in pain as it slammed towards the wall. It made a huge gaping hole and the others ran towards Echo-four quickly. All of them made an aim as the monster appeared from the hole with its menacing strength.

As soon as it made a step, everyone started firing which had no effect on their enemy. It a shit brick wall that withstands even armor piercing rounds. The thing looked angrier than ever as it started another round for mutation. It started growing new arms under its original arms and the face became more like a skull. There was now a long tail, solid enough to kill them. It roared in pure pain as a huge eye appeared on its right shoulder. The tongue stretched as it grew longer and the teeth grew sharper.

"Fuck! It can't be, the G-Virus? Here?Impossible!" Echo-one said in surprise.

"You can't be saying that right now. Nero never told as this!" Echo-two complained as he started to aim for its big eye.

"It's because we never knew it." Echo-five answered back.

"Exactly, the only thing I can think of now is to escape and hit this place with a powerful bomb. It will use the dead bodies here to make a hive. More of them will show up and who knows what." Echo-one replied.

Echo-four could hear the disrupting sound on her ear. Someone was definitely hacking her radio and she could only think of one person. Finally, the man spoke with his ever menacing voice. "Are you ready to be MIA? Escape your current position and report to me immediately."

"Affirmative." Echo-four said. It only looked that completely she agreed to Echo-one's plan. She made the move and pressed the button on her belt. There was a sudden explosion everywhere.

"What the fuck?" Echo-three grunted as rocks and debris hit their bodies. It was intense heat that surrounded them. More explosions erupted as it completely destroyed the structure of the building. It was now starting to collapse and Echo-four was out of sight. The flames consumed their enemy and it seemed that they were next. He saw the others running towards a direction so followed them without a doubt. They too were shocked as the place was completely ruined and collapsing.

Echo-four on the other hand tried to find an opening and as soon as she found the elevator on the other end of the hallway, she ran to it and threw an explosive. She jumped through the flames and grabbed the wires of the elevator. She swung to the wall and pushed herself upward performing a wall jump then followed by another then another. She did it consecutively as she continued rising upwards. Luckily, the elevator was at the lower part of the facility. Also, she only planted the bombs on the underground part of the facility. It was a matter of time before the weight of the decoy building above collapse on its now weak foundations underground. She had to make it in time before the whole thing collapse on her. They were only a few floors under as she calculated the floors correctly, she threw another explosive on one of the doors and dodged the debris easily. She finally made it upwards and made a run for the window and smashed the glass as she dropped on the ground and rolled away from the broken glass parts. She quickly stood up and scanned her surrounding for any hostile threat.

There was a black motorcycle on the middle of the road. It was definitely intended to her by the agency.

Caleb shot the threat by the door which he knew only the two of them felt. He quickly grabbed Thomas' gun and threw to Adam. He grabbed Jordan's and threw it at Adam too. He drew the extra on his Uncle Steve's holster and nodded at Adam. The two of them knew that larger numbers of them were compiling. They quickly ran outside as the others followed them in awe. Both of them were with dual action pistols as they shot consecutively on their enemies. They did gather up as they smelled the bloody scent on their shirts. Their gunplay was as amazing as gunslingers as dead bodies drop for every shot they make. Each bullet hit their intended targets squarely on the forehead. More of them were showing as they were now running out of ammo. K slammed a new clip to his gun as the rounds were used up for its purpose, to kill.

"I'm sorry! That's all I'm going to say." Caleb shouted to Adam. His companion didn't answer at all. "I should have been more careful to pick an enemy and I wasn't glad it was you."

Adam didn't answer as he kept firing more rounds to his targets' heads. They were low on ammo but more of them seem to show up. More have turned into them with a rate everyone didn't expect. The virus spread faster than they though and they were now facing the consequences because of that. He put back his gun on its holster as Caleb did the same. It was time to use their abilities in order to protect their friends.

Caleb pushed a huge amount of force on the ground. It was to make debris for them to throw just in case and to also break the waterlines under them. Adam moved closer to his back as the two of them pushed together in unison. The tremor was felt within the area as they staggered on their feet because of the actions. Water started to fill up the cracks on the ground. Adam used his force to levitate the huge chunks of solid earth break them to smaller pieces before releasing all of them at once. It also diminished a number of enemies as they ended up with broken skulls. Caleb used his force on the water beneath him and motioned them to crescent shape before concentrating hard to lower the temperature rapidly. It finally dropped to the natural freezing point of water as it made a crescent blade made of ice. He threw it with sheer force at its slashed through the necks of the enemies in the area it had hit. HE then lowered the temperature from the distance to break the ice into smaller pieces before pulling them back with telekinetic force to the back of the heads of the enemies he missed. He was sure it won't break the skull but the designated spot was a weak spot so it definitely pierced through their heads. The enemy numbers were cut in half with only a few of their actions. It was good too since Icarus wasn't invading his conscious mind. It wouldn't be good if he did.

They were now only a few enemies to deal with so with a few strokes of their arms, they were easily taken out. The two of them didn't have much choice as they look back to their companions. They were frozen in awe from the abilities they showed so far. Caleb stepped forwards towards Adam and stretched his arm. "Friends?"

"Doctor! Doctor! This is an amazing news!" said by the assistant, barging into his office without even a knock. "What is it?" he said irritably.

"Eve is finally awake!" Only a huge smile was on his face as he laughed uncontrollably on his desk. It was such good news. "FINALLY!"

He quickly stood up and went after the doctor who ran as fast as he could to the laboratory were Eve is sitting on the bed with a group of Umbrella Scientists huddled around her, getting her vitals. Abraham Connors finally made it to the lab with a smile on his face as he looked upon his creation. She was such a beauty with those emerald green eyes very similar to her brother's. She looked at him innocently as the day turned completely. Abraham approached her carefully, not to startle her. "Do you know me?"

"Yes. You are Abraham Connors, the person responsible for my existence. And therefore you are my father."

"Yes you are right my dear."

"But…where is my brother? I know I have one since we have felt each other's presence throughout our long slumber." She said in her innocent voice as Connors look at her beauty and her long sandy blonde hair and cute face.

"Apparently, some people were able to get him and now I want you to get you older brother back so we will be a happy family."

"Yes daddy! I want that to happen! Do you want me to find him now?"

"It is your choice."

Eve quickly stood up and started walking towards the door as the scientists began to write down her reactions.

"Wait! You better wear some better clothes and get some weapons"

Eve stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. "Oh Okay" She said happily as Connors lead his 'child' to the wardrobe. The trip was eventless except for that Eve kept hopping around like a child as the other scientists write down her reactions and attitudes to what she sees. She seems carefree and smile often unlike her brother who kept a serious face most of the time. Adam was pure determination while Eve was sheer dedication. It would only seem that way. They finally made it to the wardrobe where some agents go of they need some disguise for a mission. She quickly stepped in the alleys of clothes and picked out what she liked the most before running towards the dressing room. She stepped out a minute later. She tied her hair and put a clip on the side of her bangs. She wore a beaded necklace around her neck and wore a red and white blouse with both of her shoulders showing and had a frilled designed on the sleeves. She wore short black shorts and had net-like stockings around her legs. She had red snickers for shoes and read and white stripe socks. She wore black gloves too and she looked really cute on her outfit. She was going for mission but seemed that she would only have a trip to the mall. She kept on smiling which brightened Connors' day more.

"Looks like daddy's girl is growing" He said as the girl only giggled in front of him. He showed her a steel case and opened it. He handed her a pair of dual action pistols that were specially made by the Umbrella Biological Weapon Department with its holsters. She strapped it her thighs and got a short katana which she tied the back of her waist. He didn't intend to give her more weapons since he wants to see the extent of mental powers. He led her to the hangar where her brand new bike was waiting for her. "Good luck on finding your brother."

Claire was in the chopper with his brother Chris as the roam through the skies in the direction of Jill and the others. There wasn't much conversation between them as they focused more on their rescue mission. They were already in the district as they started to search for the houses below. They finally found the place where they think they might be. A large group of them were gathering around one of the houses and looks like the two of them found their target. Chris got out of his seat as Claire held the chopper's altitude. Chris got the bags from behind and opened it. They had three bags with dead bodies inside. It was to lure them away from the house so they could safely extract the people inside. Claire headed for a fairly faraway place as they could see Jill waving at the terrace. At the count of three, Chris Redfield let the three bags of dead bodies fall on the ground with a solid thud. A few seconds later, they faced that direction and started to walk. The house wasn't the center of attraction anymore as they left it and headed for the bags. They went as planned and hovered over the house where Chris threw a rope ladder on the terrace. Jill quickly came in as the other two above noticed the children with them. Jill on the other hand found Max and Nikki together with their little as they cradled with each other on the floor. Tears were shed as they took the loss of the father seriously. If Jordan knew this, he wouldn't have cared at all since his dad left them. It was a sad yet happy sight. They were thankful that they still had their brother with them. They stood up carefully and went to the terrace held on to the rope ladder. Jill ran back again in the house since Aiden and Carlos were still at the first floor, locking up the place. There area was bloodshed as they finally ran back upstairs. Carlos patted Aiden on the back as a job well done and didn't gave up protecting his newfound friends.

Ashley and Angie were now also in the chopper together with the three siblings and Claire was accommodating them. Aiden was the first one to grab the rope ladder but he felt something odd. He looked up and saw a weak point of the rope. The rope might give off their weight if they will hang on to it together.

"Look!" Aiden warned them. "It might not hold the three of us together. Only one must hang on to the rope at the time."

The two agreed and nodded.

"You go first Aiden." Jill said.

"Fine."

Aiden grabbed the rope as he shifted his weight on it. He started to climb upwards as the strong wind blew which made him nervous. He was afraid the rope might give off of him it would be fatal. He assumed that Jill will be next. Step by step, he was going higher and higher and he was almost there. As soon as he got near the highest point a lady stretched her arm towards him. He gladly accepted the help and pulled himself up with Claire. He was now safe at the chopper with the others. He looked down again and Jill was hanging on the rope this time. He scanned the area as he saw them started walking towards their position. Out of somewhere, some of the bodies were thrown upwards by some unknown force. A huge bloody creature jumped out of the group of undead near them. A creature with big talons and long tongue appeared. It seems thirsty for more blood.

"Shit." Aiden muttered under his breath.

Echo-four drove through the seemingly endless road that stretches through the vast desert. Everything was dried up now especially the places where the virus had hit and it collapsed the balance of the environment. The virus had now hit the west part of the United States so far ever since the Raccoon City incident. The people all over the world were in chaos but the information were only limited. Some of the facts were even considered as hoaxes by the government. The media kept finding clues to verify the root of the problem but they were futile. The only hope humanity have now is that they could successfully contain the virus within the land but it would be hard.

Soon, a series of houses began to appear. She was now able to get across the desert and into a deserted town. It was the designated area for them to rendezvous and meet her seniors. She made a turn around the corner and saw the people waiting for her. A woman in red and a man in black were there. Two other unconscious people on the ground were with them. She stopped near the two people and came down her bike. She removed her helmet and approached the two.

"How are you, _Scarlet_?" said the man in black.

"I'm fine, Mirage" she said sarcastically.

"We are here today to give you a new assignment." said the woman in red.

"I know Ada. Now give me the official statement so I can proceed quickly. I need to get back to my team!"

"You don't need to go back to those trashes." Mirage said. Scarlet grunted as it was like an insult to her. "You are now deemed worthy to take this and I'll give you something specially made for you."

"Who are they?" Scarlet asked, pointing to the two unconscious people on the ground.

"They are Marcus Oliver and the other is known as Project Alice. However, they are of no importance to you. Not yet." Mirage told her. "Now for you task…"

Scarlet noticed the slight movement as she was held captive by Mirage. Three needles were pierced on her neck. Mirage was _fast_ and she can never cope with such speed. Mirage took out an injection out from his sleeve and injected it on her neck. The pain pierced throughout her body as she shrieked in pain. She could see some hallucinations as the new material took over her body. She screamed some more before finally calming down some. She dropped her helmet and it rolled to her front. The glass was facing her as she saw the reflection of her fiery red eyes.

"Project Scarlet _activate._" Mirage whispered. Something snapped in her as she stood up completely, seemingly ignoring everything that surrounds her.

"Awaiting orders." Scarlet said in a very cold voice.


	29. Decisions

Chapter 29

Decisions

"Watch out!" Aiden shouted for the other two below. The two looked above what was happening. They saw Aiden pointing at a far distance which made them look at where he was pointing. The beast was still hundreds of meters away. However, they know the ability of this thing. They've encountered one in the church and it could have killed them easily but thanks to Alice they were saved. It was capable of jumping long distance and move at high speeds. Its long tongue could incapacitate one person and it can be useful in different situations. The problem is that they low enough for that thing to pounce on them. And if it did, it will be all over for them. The growled loudly that it could be heard. The others started to panic. Claire held the chopper's altitude carefully. Chris on the other hand took out a sniper rifle and positioned himself. Claire rotated the chopper's position a little bit to give Chris a good spot to shoot it. He made an aim carefully on the scope as Jill tried to climb faster. The thing was ready to make jumps. With a pull of his finger, the gun triggered and it let fly a bullet. However, before it could even hit the target, it already made a jump into the air and landed a few meters nearer them. It started to run on all fours as it made more jumps. Chris tried pulling off more shots but kept missing since the beast was too fast. Carlos took out his pistols and was ready to give a fight. The thing was less than a hundred meters away from them. It got near fast and Jill was almost at the top.

"Come here!" Carlos taunted. As soon as the thing was near enough, he started to fire at will. He was able to hit a few times but it kept on with its rampage and was nearing Carlos' position. It made a high jump slice the rope halfway from the top. Carlos' only chance of escaping was torn apart. He backed off a little bit firing more but it jumped to him a pounced him. The thing was on top of him. As long as he wasn't wounded he has a chance of living.

The thing stretched it arm upwards, ready to make a strike to its victim. Carlos put his arm over his head to act as a shield. Was it really the end? It was better of like this. The others are safe and that's important. But he remembered something. Not everyone was safe for the meantime. Alice is missing. The three boys and Steve were, too. Should I give up? He asked himself. He opened his eyes again as the world around him was like in slow motion. A bullet pierced threw the arm of the beast and had barely hit him. It was just an inch near his face as the thing growled in pain. It was a good chance but also a risk. Life is a risk. We all know it and he used that chance to kick his attacker off of him. The bullet staggered its balance as he was successful taking it off of him. He rolled towards the opposite direction and quickly stood up and fired his last bullets. It was all used up in a few shots but it had hit its target. It rolled and managed to get on all fours again. It tried to pounce him again but he was just in time to make a crouch and dodge his opponent. He threw one of his pistols but it didn't hit.

Claire tried to lower the altitude so Carlos could make a jump to the other end of the rope. She continued on as the rope started to go down and down, just enough for him to reach it. It was risky to lower the altitude but they have to save him. Jill had already made her way up and started to fire with Chris to give Carlos some back-up. The thing was just too fast and kept dodging the bullets. However, it was better than Carlos getting injured. The hail of bullets went on but they too were almost out of ammo. Who knows, they might need it later on. Chris stopped firing and made Jill stop too.

"Carlos!" Jill shouted. Carlos looked up for a sec. "The rope! Jump for it! NOW!"

Carlos knew what to do. He made a run for it on the balcony. He stepped up on the railings and made a jump. His hand was almost there. However, the thing behind him jumped too but higher. Carlos was able to grab the rope ladder but the thing slashed its higher part completely.

"Shit!" he gasped. He started to fall down and landed on the solid ground. He had hit shoulder badly. He heard the crack. He was definitely injured. The pain emitted throughout his body as he groaned or pain and gasped for breath. The thing landed a few meters near him. It really is the end. He was hopeless. He was still happy he was able to help the others survive and they will definitely be looking for the others. He knew tears would be shed for him but he was still worried about Alice. He just kept having this bad feeling. He wasn't just sure but at least he was useful to the group. He just remembered something. He still had one explosive grenade in his back pocket. He tried to reach for it. Before he could pull the pin, the thing was pushed off by an unknown force into a distance. It was too late. He pulled the pin accidentally and released the trigger. It will blow off in a few seconds. Without a second thought he threw the grenade to the enemy where it exploded. He looked back to see his savior.

"Caleb!" He said with a smile.

Mirage walked around Scarlet, examining the changes. She kept with an emotionless face and stood straight. She began to move which caught Mirage's attention. She just took out small object which looks like a band and tied her hair. Her hair was long and crimson, but after tying it, it seemed like it short. It hanged at least two inches above her shoulder and had a downwards spiky impression. It was still scarlet red matches with her emotionless face. She was waiting for the new order from her seniors. Mirage just walked away before finally disappearing. His speed was so fast that Ada didn't recognize the direction he went.

In a flash Mirage appeared before Scarlet and gave her a strong blow on the neck but Scarlet dodged it by crouching low. She did a few hand seals and clapped her hands. An unknown force blew Mirage away but he landed squarely on his feet. Mirage remembered that Scarlet was an orphan and was trained from a dojo under the art of ninjutsu. She really fought like one, using stealthy tactics with quick but deadly strikes. But it was still a mystery to him do those hand seals before performing the attack. Could it be that it makes the enemy oblivious to her attack? Mirage had already seen her fight a few times and she never did a deadly attack without one. It was clear but who cares. Her performance is great in battles as well as reconnaissance and intel gathering missions. He dashed in again in front of her and performed a low sweep this time. She jumped but Mirage continued his momentum and continued the kick upwards. She was able to block it and jumped over his leg and kicked the other leg that supports him. He was hit and backed off and use the force to perform a back-hand spring and threw two precisely thrown needles. She clapped her hands again and the needles deflected.

He was a few meters away from him. He smiled under his mask before disappearing this time. Ada knew that he was gone. She couldn't feel his presence anymore.

"Proceed with the attack." She announced.

"Understood." Scarlet replied coldly. She too, with her new abilities quickly disappeared into the unknown. As she was trained like an assassin and a feudal age ninja, she preferred to hide through trees. Suddenly, a pain screamed throughout her body. Her body went numb and the eerie noise echoed through her head. The noise was so distorted that she wasn't able to see clearly anymore. After a step on one of the house roofs, she made a mistake on stepped on a bad spot. She slid down on the roofs and landed from a two-story house. She slammed to the earth and rolled to lessen the impact. A small horde of them sensed her and slowly gathered up near her. She was unconscious for a minute. It was plenty of time for them to be able to get near her. She finally opened her eyes only to see that she was already surrounded. She clapped her hands quickly. The wave of pulse like energy emitted and blasted the bodies around her and bloody body parts were scattered on the ground. There was still a slight pain in her head but she can still handle it. She scanned the area and there were still some left around. It was a hellish scenario but she doesn't care anymore. Tasks are more important now. Every task has a perfect tool and she was one. A tool to be used to satisfy the master is the highest priority.

She looked at the open bloody door on her side. It was the door of the house where she fell. She went inside and slammed the door shut. Inside her head, she was able to access the data of the Umbrella Corp as she was originally prepared for that. She scanned the list of employees' addresses and found a match of her location. 51 Crimson Street, it was the residence of one of the bio-weapon specialists in the corporation. She scanned the full-detail blueprint of the house from her own database and she found the area where she could find something useful. She quickly ran around inside the house until she reached the spot she was looking for. It was a blank wall but behind it were specialized weapons. She closed her eyes and clapped her hands. As soon her eyes opened, the force was released, making a big crack on the wall. She punched through the weakened wall and pulled it out like it was nothing. She found what she wanted. She grabbed all the light-weight weapons she could find. It of course included a pair of pistols and a good number of easily-thrown weapons. The blades were heightened with lasers to maximize its sharpness. There was something more, she clapped her hands again and the wall was destroyed again. She could see a vault behind it. The wall broke apart and revealed the vault behind it. She pulled the handle and ripped it apart. There was armor behind it. It was probably for security purposes. She quickly changed into it but didn't wear it all. She kept herself light-weight at all times to increase her mobility. She scanned the room which seems to be an attic. She opened a nearby trunk and found a large black coat so she quickly took it. She shook it a bit to take the dust off. She wore it and head for the stairs and out. It was a bit bulky and her hands were well hidden under her sleeves. It wasn't heavy either and looked like a coat-style cape put on her. When she got down, she was surrounded again. She formed a single seal with her emotionless face staring at the wall. A few seconds later she released the seal and clapped her hands then entire house were blown into bits from the force she released.

Eve rode through the wasteland that was America. The places were apocalyptic and it brought fear to her eyes. Unlike Adam, she thinks like a child and would often have a reaction like a child would. Tears ran through her cheek as she scanned from to side to side and saw what happened to the country. So far she has been at the western areas since the virus was first seen at the area near the remains of Raccoon City. At the Eastern part, the people were being sorted. They went under numerous medical exams to ensure the safety. The complications stopped and differences of the cultures were ignored. Every country now in the world wants to ensure the safety of their race. Animals too were being saved from the wrath of the virus. The US government made a lot of connections from different lands where they could temporarily put the residents until the situation is fully cleared. Nearly half of US were under the contamination of the virus. It was horrible but they had to face the fact that the Umbrella Corporation was responsible for it. The corporation itself was starting to break apart and it will be in ruins after a few months. Eve can sense her other 'self' even under long ranges. She was already on her in fact so that she could get him. She also knew there was incoming danger and she has to make it so that she could warn him. She wasn't that far anymore, in fact, just two more towns before she could reach him.

The road was still long. It was still well stretched yet the aftermath of their invasion was clearly seen. There were cars everywhere on the road. Some were even still on fire and dead bodies were there. It seems that some have been undetected and managed to get away from the quarantined areas. She was sure there was a sudden outbreak in the middle of the road and caused such havoc. She could see the outskirts of the next town. Just a few kilometers ahead and she could see her brother. But she had no idea what he had been through now.

Along the way, she felt some movement on car that she just passed through. She quickly made a turn a drifted, going to the opposite direction. She accelerated towards it and suddenly stopped in front of it. A woman was unconscious inside a car, well what was left of it at least. The back part was burning and there are only a few seconds before it will blow off along with her. She approached it carefully and opened the car door. She gently touched her neck and felt the pulse. It was very weak but she was still holding on. She was a woman of about mid thirties. She had a long brown wavy hair and wore corporate attire. There was blood dripping down from her head going down to her neck and staining her clothes. She closed her eyes and could feel the heat escaping her and into the other body. She opened her eyes and saw the woman started to move. She was glad that she was fine but she had to get safe.

There was a sudden metal clank from her side. It was almost time for the car to explode. She could also feel them gathering nearer and nearer. She knew from her sources that some would 'die' for a short amount of time. They were dead bodies and they just had to conserve what was left of their energy. Some would lie down and stay 'dead.' Only the fresh smell of blood would wake them from their 'slumber.' She knew this and her fresh blood was the catalyst to wake them up. She grabbed the woman's shoulder and pulled her out of the car and ran back to her bike. She put her down for meantime and eliminate them quickly. It would be a good practice for her since this would the first time she encounters them.

She stood back up and gathered her courage. She doesn't show it much but her personality is more passive. There were a few gathering in front of her and at the back. It was a two-direction battle. She quickly ran towards the first one jumped forward and spun in the air and kick the first one in the face. The head was forced upwards, breaking the neck. It fell with a lifeless thud as she landed and followed it by another jump. She turned and twist her body in the air and kicked the next one on the chest and had a spin effect due to the momentum of her body. The kick gave her an opposite force to back away from her opponent as she landed on the ground. She stood up straight again and picked up an arm size metal bar by her feet. She ran towards her opponents and sliced the neck which was completely destroyed. The head fell with a cold thud as she continued bashing through the next then the next. The only ones left were at the rear. She ran straight towards her next target bashed its head, breaking it apart and brain bits scattered on the ground. She threw the metal bar that pierced through the head of her next target. Then there was the last one standing. It was groaning as it made its way nearer and nearer. She just run and jumped. She just deliberately spun in the air and delivered a kick to the side of the head. The head twisted almost a 360 degree turn due to the strength of her kick.

She went back to the lady as she stood up. She was a bit wobbly at first and looked at her. Eve was just surprised to see her eyes rolled back and her mouth was hanging open. She was already one of them. She saw the bandage by her leg and she could think that it was the only explanation. She must have been bitten recently and caused her accident. The other corpses looked dead much longer than her body. She walked towards it. As soon as she's near enough it stretched its arms and tried to grab her. She just dodged to her back and grabbed her neck and twisted it to end her misery once and for all. She went back to her bike and started the engine. The world was now being overwhelmed by unimaginable creatures. She couldn't stand it. She began to ask herself: Is that why we are created, to make a difference?

Caleb rushed to Carlos who was still groaning in pain. He quickly helped the older man up without any problem. There were still a lot of them hanging around and started to gather near them. Caleb just closed his eyes for a sec and concentrated. He stretched his arms and started swinging it randomly. Carlos saw its effect as he saw them being tossed around the area. The direction followed the motion of his arms. They landed hard on the ground which easily shattered their bones and skulls. To a normal human, it was fatal, but their enemies were far from normal. Adam and Steve together with the other three finally caught up to them since they two were being followed by them. Adam just had to take care of the situation since they were trying to conserve ammunition. The chopper hovered above them. The other just sat there above and watched what was happening down there. Chris threw another rope ladder down on a nice spot.

There were less of them now at least. They easily grew in numbers but diminishing them depends on the situation. Since super powered kids were with them, they had no problems. Caleb helped Carlos get nearer the rope ladder, together with the two kids. Carlos slowly climbed up the rope ladder. It was a long process but his shoulder was injured and he cannot rush it. As soon as he was up there he saw that there are only two spots left, him and another. There were still two kids waiting to be picked up from below. Chris nodded at Claire.

"We'll meet at HQ later." Chris said. "It'll be fine. I'll take them there."

"But-"

"No buts! We'll do fine! The two spots will be for the two kids."

"I'll go down!" Jill interrupted.

"No need."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I'm sure those two boys will be more than powerful enough to survive."

Chris climbed down quickly. He helped Jordan and Thomas get up there. Jordan was scared at first. He just looked at Caleb and seemed that he was about to cry. His eyes were teary but he needed to grow up and move on. It was a decision. Chris had his radio by his shoulder and it was still fine since they weren't present when the light exploded. As soon as the two boys were up. The chopper left towards the horizon. Caleb looked at his companions as he saw more of them started show up again. Adam was ready and so was Phillip. Chris locked on his rifle and Steve just simply slammed another clip in his pistol. It was only the five of them and the rest were on their way to a safe place.

Out of nowhere a black motorcycle came out of nowhere. It started hitting them that was on the way. On it was a woman in a black coat. Her hair was clearly seen as red and they weren't sure what to do. She started heading towards Adam. Adam was startled as the woman jumped off her motorcycle and rolled on the floor. The bike still rushed straight to its target and Adam waved his arms as the motorcycle followed the motion of his abilities. The enemy quickly stood up and blinked in on Caleb who was just about to stab her with his knife. She simply crouched and clapped her hands. Caleb was thrown back and slammed to the wall of the house and grunted in pain. He was confused that he was easily thrown backwards like a rag doll.

Steve aimed at her but she quickly blinked in front of him. He was startled as she made an upward slash, breaking his pistol and throwing his arms off guard. He switched her handling into reverse as she was about to stab Steve. Adam quickly made it in time to grab her hand but she stretched her arms towards Chris who started firing his rifle on her but the bullets stopped in front of her palm. He stopped firing since he knew it would be useless. The bullets drop dead on the floor. Adam was about to make a move but he was kicked in the torso, releasing his grip on her hand and was thrown back. Steve moved back as Caleb appeared at her back, prepared to attack her with a horizontal hand chop on the neck level. Steve notice Caleb's gleaming red eyes. To him, it seemed that he was just calling his abilities, but to Caleb, he was just dominated by Icarus. The enemy just crouched down and clapped her hands. Caleb was easily thrown back again since he was in midair. He landed his back on the floor and rolled until he was able to stand up. No one was near her. Steve backed up and Adam was far away since he was kicked. Phillip and Chris were aimed at her. This wasn't good. Chris and Phillip were the nearest. Just before they pulled her trigger, she stretched her arms and two were attracted to her. She was holding their necks and at her mercy. Adam dashed in behind her as Caleb was at the front. She threw her hostages back as they rolled on the floor, grunting in pain. She blocked Caleb's and Adam's attack in unison. She made a counter attack that was fast enough to go through Caleb's guard and hit him, causing him to be thrown back again. Adam used this chance and performed a high kick in mid air. The enemy just crouched again but Adam used his momentum to get himself right above her and continued on with another kicked downwards but the enemy was too fast. He was kicked upwards before he could even land the hit. He was high up in midair. Caleb just reappeared again in front of her which caught her of guard. They began to exchange a series of continuous blows, the enemy was fast and he got hit. He was stunned for a split second and began to spin a few times. He focused his energy on his hands to gain temperature as his hands flamed on. However, the enemy saw an opening and kicked him easily.

Adam was still knocked up as he fell down. Scarlet just grabbed him in time and raised him up. She was choking him as she gripped her hand tightly on Adam's neck. Her short katana slid down from the inside and prepared to strike. In a swift second they were shocked to see a blonde girl blocking the enemy's katana. She blocked with both of her arms but the katana pierce through her arms and into her left shoulder. Scarlet remained emotionless.

The girl looked at Adam with tear in her eyes. "Brother."


	30. Pain

Chapter 30

Pain

Jill looked back again to the window. The chopper was hundreds of feet above ground and went on East. It was already sunset and they could see the setting sun on the horizon and something was still bugging her. She looked outside the window as she remembered almost every second of it. A lot had happened a few hours before and now they were on the way to safety. Who knows what will happen to the people left behind. However, she knew that a few of them would go back there the next day. The people left behind just have to find someplace safe outside town to rest. As far as she knew, there was already a nice rendezvous spot outside the town where they would meet the next morning. It was the reason why Chris was left behind, so that he will be able to escort them. The plan was set. The only problem now was that if they can do it. Jill just stared outside the window of the chopper. Claire was on the pilot seat with Carlos as the co-pilot. The two was busy navigating the thing so that they could get to safety as soon as possible. Max, Nikki and Lyle were cuddled up together and were sound asleep. Thomas and Jordan rested their heads on Ashley who was also asleep. Angie was sleeping on her shoulder. Opposite her was Aiden who was staring outside the window. She could see that he was still alert. It was a traumatic day for the kids but they can't do anything now can they? It was a good thing that they didn't have any psychotic trauma or something that could slow all of them down. However, she knew too well that the aftershock will show later on they would be busy for a while.

"Don't you want to sleep Aiden?" Jill asked.

"No." the kid just said coldly. He brushed his hair a bit and went back into staring into the distance. "There is just something that disturbs."

"Same here."

"Will they be alright?"

"I'm sure they would be."

Aiden ignored her last statement and bowed before closing his eyes. Jill went back into staring into the horizon. It wasn't a good day for all of them.

Ada was left alone with their two hostages. One was Project Alice. She was pretty much important to Umbrella Corp. There were a lot of possibilities going on in her mind. On her side was Marcus Oliver who was also unconscious. He was the last of the military personnel that governed the whole area. Alice started to move which caught her attention. She just ignored her as she waited. She sat on a huge rock as Alice opened her eyes. Ada knew she was no match against Alice but with skills she would do just fine. Ada knew Alice as well awake as she was trying to reach for a small knife by her boot. She could cut herself loose but there weren't many options now. She was just waiting for Mirage's orders before she could go. She didn't like waiting for Mirage since he was too cocky at times so she was thinking she could use a little challenge. She pretended she didn't notice Alice trying to cut herself loose. They were in the middle of nowhere and they won't be able to far from where they are without a GPS map like hers. Besides, there were a lot of them in the area. After the eradication of the nearby Umbrella facility, the dead bodies there were bound to attract them so as long as you pretty far away from there. You'll be safe and it would surely attract hordes of them so the area would be like washed away from them. Ada thought that it might be a good idea to nuke that area to kill a good number of them. She noticed Alice was already untied and she was already prepared to receive an incoming attack and she did. Alice quickly rolled and threw her knife. She immediately dodged it without breaking a sweat. Alice quickly ran to her but Ada just evaded her quickly. She tried to counterattack but Alice was better. Alice just kept delivering blows at her so she just had to dodge them effectively.

Ada dodged her latest attack and quickly grabbed a serum at her hidden pocket. Her long red dress was cunning together with its hidden pockets. She pulled the cover off and injected it to herself. With a push of a button, the serum like material was pushed into her system. She felt a bit dizzy as power overcame her. It was temporary and experimental and she thought that it was a perfect chance while waiting for Mirage. Alice was just about to attack her when tried to make a step, she could see everything in slow motion only that her body was coping with her own speed. She quickly made a side step and moved in behind Alice and grabbed her hand. She was light as a feather as she easily threw Alice in the air. She then grabbed her by the foot and threw her to the ground. Everything went to its normal speed.

Alice landed with a painful thud. She was in pain buts she can still withstand. Suddenly Ada moved in quick but Alice' dark powers kicked in. Ada was thrown back hard by an unknown force. She rolled on the ground before quickly standing up again. She tried to speed up again and dashed in to Alice. She quickly tried to hit her again but she was just thrown back like before. She was startled now. She quickly stood up again but an eerie pain shattered the inside of her head. It was distorted noise that echoed through the wall of her brain. She fell on one knee. Could it be the side effect of the drug that she took? It was unknown whether it is or not but she saw Alice with a fierce look at her. Could it be her? It wasn't far from impossible either.

Mirage was a good distance between him and Ada. He was one the way back and just finished the task he was asked to do. He was on top of the hall as he looked over the area where he could see Ada fighting Alice. He just ignored the two of them since he knew that Ada had a drug to inject herself and overpower Alice. He then sat beside a huge rock and looked at the sky for a moment. He reached for his back pocket and took out a photo and looked at it with distress in his eyes. It was a family photo. The father and mother were beside each other with a young boy between them. The father had sandy blonde hair with bright blue eyes and the mother had long brown hair with green eyes. One could easily say that she was pregnant at that time by looking at her belly. The boy had brown hair and blue eyes. They had the same features. He knew it was him but he didn't know who his parents were. It was his only connection to the past. Professor Tomlinson told him where they found him before he was turned to what he is now. It looks like he had a brother or sister. He tried going to the area once but he didn't find anything except that photo. He would look at it every now and then but work was always on the way. He kept wondering what kind of people were they and if they're still alive right now. I hope they were alright since he wanted to meet them one way or another but in another persona. And then there was that kid. The boy back in the town resembled his facial features. He started wondering if he was a close relative. He was in deep trance right now that he forgot about Ada. He looked at them and was surprised to see Ada down on one knee and Alice standing straight. That wasn't right. Could it be that Ada's body wasn't compatible with the drug they revised? It was possible but less likely. It was time to go down. He put back the photo inside his pocket and rushed in to the battle field.

Rachelle was shocked. She couldn't make a difference. She just froze there in her place as her companions were carried away by to hostile entities. She tried moving her body a few more times but it was hopeless. The needles stuck to her neck were blocking her nervous system in delivering her thoughts. The only thing she could move was her eyes. She tried to scan and needless to say a few of them are on their way to get them. As soon as the two unknown people left with their comrades, Neo by her feet started to move. He tried to crawl towards her. It seems that that the two enemies weren't interested at them and left them to be killed by them. Without the other two knowing, Neo started to crawl nearer and nearer Rachelle. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down. She fell on a hard thud but she didn't feel any pain. It was like she was immune since her nervous system was stunned by the needles pierced on her neck. Neo crawled to her neck and plucked out the two needles attached to it.

Pain rushed through her veins as Rachelle groaned in pain. It looks like her pressure points were quickly pressed first before she realized it since the needles were precisely pierced on her neck. The sensation of pain was primarily stopped because Mirage was able to pierce her before her body could have ever reacted. She was amazed as soon as she realized this.

Neo grunted in pain as he fell on his back. Rachelle quickly assisted him and looked at his wound. The bullet really had pierced through his limb. Blood was still oozing out of the wound. She grabbed her first-aid kit at her back pocket and got a bandage. She applied pressure on the wound. She bandaged it well and helped Neo up.

"Where do you think will they take them?" Neo asked.

"I'm not sure." Rachelle replied. He looked at David and Matthew who were still frozen at their positions. "Let's pluck those needles out of them first."

They easily plucked the needles out of their necks. Both grunted in pain as it emitted throughout their bodies. Their pressure points too were pressed which explains the shock on the nervous system. Their enemy was fast and accurate. The four of them were simply no match and were stunned in seconds. David grabbed his gun and fired on a nearby body. It dropped dead on the floor. The others seemed to notice now that they were starting to get surrounded by them. They can get away but Neo's injuries were going to slow them down by half their speed. Neo would be forced to walk but he too has to move fast despite his injury.

"Where should we go first then?" Matthew asked. Scarlet scanned around now since she could move her body around. She saw smoke coming out from Alice' house direction. It hit her hard and remembered about their back up chopper. It was gone now and it was possible it crashed. That direction was also the same direction to the headquarters and is now more likely to be the source of fire. "There."

The other three looked at where she was looking and also saw the black smoke rising up into the skies. He checked his wrist watch which says 17:06. The sun will soon set in a few hours and it would hard to travel by then. Everyone nodded as they went for that source of fire which was the chopper. They could find something useful from there. Everyone knew a good 4-man team position with an injured company. They will be on triangle formation. Rachelle will on the front while David and Matthew will be on both sides. Neo of course will stay on the center of the three. They have to preserve their last breathes now since it will be much more difficult to survive with less hands now that the town will soon be overruled by them. Rachelle quickly went for the initiative as she went into scouting mode. She grabbed her pistol out and equipped it with a suppressor. She showed it to her comrades and they knew what to do. Everyone was on suppressor and the four of them have to lay low to catch less attention. Rachelle was also a marksman when it comes to pistols. She easily took them out that were along the way.

The four of them made a turn around the block and saw the chopper that crashed on one of the houses. It was still on fire. A body of their comrade was seen near it. His lower part of the body was crushed underneath the vehicle. As Rachelle went nearer to the body, she still couldn't identify it. However she was sure that it was Harrison's body. As far as she could remember, he was the one responsible to navigate the chopper. His face cannot be identified anymore since it was already crushed. There was a lot of blood on his body. She examined his corpse carefully as the other three finally caught up to her. She saw a hole at the side of the head. She knew he was murdered, but who was it? It was possible that there was an impostor with him. She tried to remember more before they dispersed for the mission. Eric Williams and William Briggs were supposed to be with him in the chopper. Either one of them is the culprit but then again there was another idea. Could that masked man be also responsible for their deaths? She remembered also that the enemy vanished for a short amount of time. With his speed it was possible he had the luxury of time to kill the people in the chopper. The three rested by a nearby rock but were still alert. She wasn't contented on what she had. She went around the chopper and found Eric. There was a lot of blood too on the ground. He too died from the crash. She noticed something by his hand. . It was a dying message and probably a clue. She wondered what those numbers mean. The heat of the nearby flames finally got to her. She ran back to the other three.

"What did you find?" Neo asked. Pain was still in his voice.

"Eric and Harrison's bodies. Both are dead. William is gone. Harrison was definitely murdered. He had a headshot. Could it be Williams?"

"I don't think so." replied David. "Did you remember William's outburst week ago? He wants to take Umbrella down after his siblings were turned into them. He was from South Dakota and that place was near Raccoon City, the scene of the crime."

"Now that you mention it yes, but I don't think those people were from Umbrella."

"How did you know?"

"I just knew." Rachelle said. She looked back to the burning helicopter. Suddenly she heard a groan. They were trying to surround them again. The blood on Neo's leg sure did attract them. And this simply means that they should be on the constant move. His blood was still fresh and it would attract hordes of them if they stayed on one place. There was a sudden movement on the helicopter. The four of them of them aimed at the unknown entity. William just appeared and tried to crawl from under the debris. He was bloody and could have several broken bones. Suddenly a long tongue slithered around his body and pulled him back. The four of them were shocked as they heard William's dying screams.

Adam was shocked at the blonde girl that blocked the katana. The enemy had no reaction as she pushed the katana deeper into her wound. The girl cried as she felt the pain on her arms and shoulder. He grabbed the enemy's arm and tried to kick but the enemy released both of them and clapped her hands. In a split second they were blown away by her telekinetic force. He tried to grab her and caught her and succeeded. The katana was still pierced on her shoulder. The enemy raised her arm and the katana was pulled back to her hands in a swift moment. The girl on her arms was bloody and had tears in her eyes. Her looks were so innocent as if she knew no evil intention.

Icarus too was shocked but there was no time if the enemy would be a danger to them all. He ran towards the enemy and tried to deliver some blows but the enemy just either blocked them or evaded. The enemy quickly counterattacked him and hit him hard on the side with a kick. He was then grabbed by his opponent and was thrown back. The enemy raised her arms as the bullets that hailed from her rear stopped in mid air. Chris and Steve stopped shooting at her immediately. As soon as she dropped her hands down the bullets dropped dead on the ground. It was enough for Icarus to stood up again and attack. He rushed in but slammed the ground this time. There was a tremor as soon as he slammed his palm on the ground. The quake created huge cracks that went towards his enemy. The rocks that were formed from the crack were pushed upwards. Earth spike were then formed that were directed towards his enemy. However, before it could reach her, she simply clapped her hands and the force blasted away all the spike intended for her. The battlefield was covered with dust which obscured their vision but Icarus managed to get through and appeared before his enemy. He delivered a high kicked and the enemy grabbed his foot. Just before the enemy could react, Adam appeared behind her which surprised the enemy. He was about to pierce her with his hand that was raging with energy that focused on the vibration of nearby molecules. It acted like a sharp blade. The intense vibration caused the molecules to raise its temperature and manipulate the magnetic force of surrounding material to form an electric pulse the rages throughout his hand. It was a blade that was raging with power of lightning. The attack caused him to surpass his own maximum attack speed. The enemy was just surprised but managed to dodge her vitals at the last moment. Adam pierce through her right shoulder causing her to release her grip on Icarus who used the chance to follow up his attack with a chop. He tried to imitate Adam's attack but he wasn't able to form electricity like Adam did. However, he was able to imitate the intense vibration of his energy which made his hand like a blade. He slashed his opponent but she was able to evade it. She counterattacked him by kicking him in the stomach but Icarus managed to block it but the force still made him back away. The enemy quickly followed him and Adam's hand slipped out through the hole in her shoulder. She quickly ran towards Caleb with a katana coming out of her left sleeve. She knew Adam intended to hit her in the heart which would be fatal but she was able to move it to a less vital spot at last the moment. She was in pain but her left shoulder was fine. She tried to stab Caleb with her katana but Adam managed to follow up behind her and grabbed her left arm. She threw her katana into the air and even though it was painful, she tried to move her right arm and clapped it with her left to release another good amount of force around her. Caleb and Adam were blasted away at a good distance but both quickly stood up.

The enemy caught her katana and stood up like there was no pain. Her face was still emotionless as the pain finally went down. Adam and Caleb could see her rapid mutation as the gaping hole in her shoulder closed up. Icarus knew she wasn't like them. He and the Genesis project were derived from Project Alice that has a lot of potential in over all battle. She however was from the Tyrant Series made by Umbrella Corporation. He wasn't so sure yet but this is what he could only conclude. Was she with Umbrella or just a runaway experiment too like them and turned rogue. If it so then she wouldn't have attacked them in the first place. It would only seem now that someone ordered that thing to kill them. Without another moment to waste Adam quickly made a run towards with open arms. He tried to attack again with the same ability. His hands lit up bright blue and quickly sped up. He was in front of the enemy in no time. He tried giving her slashes with his hands but the enemy only evaded it. She knew that blocking it would be a fatal error. Since Icarus had psychic abilities, his empathy tells him the rage that Adam feels. Even though he knew he was confused, rage just let him ravage anything in his sight. The enemy took out her katana on each arm and started counterattacking Adam who showed a good sword display. Adam easily cut through her blades and she just quickly discarded it and clapped her hands. Adam was blown away and Icarus just used this chance to approach the enemy. He flipped over Adam who was blown away with a good amount of force and tried to attack her. However, the enemy took out another katana and intended to stab him on a vital spot. He just backed away and emitted flames in his hands and threw them. They were highly explosive and could blast a whole house like before. They detonated before the enemy but she just clapped her hands and the huge flames dispersed into nothingness. That ability was really annoying. Icarus tried to peek in her mind. There was a distorted sound but he got pass it somehow.

"Isn't that a little bit too irritating _Scarlet?_" Icarus asked.

"Don't call me _that!_" Scarlet shrieked. She slammed her palms into the ground and all of them felt the huge tremor with her as the epicenter. A huge creature erupted out from the ground. Her hands were buried into the ground. Cracks went throughout a huge area. The creature was like a giant centipede. It had long legs and had a long body. It's color was like blood and had a bigger end. The end of its body opened up and revealed its huge eye and bloody teeth. Two claws erupted from the side of the eye and shrieked. All of them were stunned from what they saw. No one made a single move as their enemy showed an unknown ability. It made another uproar as Scarlet shrieked some more. Two of them erupted again from the ground and shrieked in agony. Scarlet pulled out her hands from the ground which was cover with blood. From what Icarus could see, it was _very fast _and _painful_ mutation. It seems that she pulled out another entity from within herself. Her arms were the gateway to their release. The creature roared as their moved fast and scanned the area. The first spotted the blonde girl beside a teen boy. The girl had closed eyes with pain painted on her face. It opened it mouth and revealed its dozens of the teeth. It rushed towards her in a slithering process which caught Adam's attention who was still trying to stand up.

"EVE! NOOOOOOO!"


	31. Edge

Chapter 31

Edge

Alice now had a chance to fend her two enemies off and if she could get away with it with Marcus. Ada still stood up without a scratch, she was just being kept blasted away by Alice' telekinetic abilities. She never speculated that she would encounter an enemy like this and with her skills, will be able to make a stand. Alice stood up, no weapons at hand and charged at her opponent. Alice had a position in the security department of Umbrella Corporation before her life was ever changed by the outbreak. She definitely knew how to fight. She punched her enemy with a feint but the enemy didn't fall into her trap and simply made a dodge which made her next attack difficult. Alice quickly made a shift of attack and spin downwards with a low sweep. Ada just jumped upwards and flipped above her. She then stepped on her shoulder with a downward force and skipped farther away. This caused Alice to slam down to the ground but she quickly did a quick roll and stood up. Ada was still standing straight as if nothing happened.

"Who are you?" Alice asked.

"It's none of your business." Her enemy replied. Alice tried to peek in her mind and try to know her identity. Asking her name of course made her recite it in her mind. She used this chance and took a look. Alice received what her enemy was transmitting in her brain.

"Just who are you _Ada_?" Alice asked again. Ada was startled that she froze for a quick moment. Alice used this chance to approach her quickly and kicked her in the face. Ada just saw through this and evaded it by crouching just enough for Alice' attack to miss. She then quickly grabbed Alice leg and made a simple twist on it. Alice flicked into the air and dropped on the ground. Alice counterattacked by sweeping but Ada backed away, evading it completely.

Alice quickly stood up again and mindlessly charged at her opponent and gave quick blows which were easily blocked by Ada. With a swift motion, Alice grabbed Ada's gun by her legs and aimed at her but Ada quickly counterattacked. She grabbed Alice' arm and hit her elbow, releasing her gun. She then followed it by Pulling her arm and kicking her at her thigh, it definitely weakened Alice' position. She then used this chance to pulled her arm and throw her on the ground. Alice grunted in pain while Ada quickly backed away to dodge any incoming attack. Alice stood up slowly again as Ada just watched her mercilessly. Ada didn't care a bit for her. She was just assigned for this assignment with Mirage. As soon as Alice was able to stand up, she tried attacking her mentally again. Ada heard the eerie echo again as pierced every inch of her brain. Her mind was pounding hard as if she was about to explode. She was already nauseous from the repeated attack on her brain. She charged at Alice who prepared for attack so that she can break the noise. However, she fell on her knee before she could even approach her completely. Alice walked to her and grabbed the gun by her feet. She aimed at her then pulled the trigger…BANG!

Rachelle backed away a bit as blood splattered over the area where William has been and heard his dead screams for his life. His voice would surely tell them that he was purely in pain. Neo and company also saw this terrible sight. Neo quickly stood up and slowly back away too. The four of them aimed their guns at the spot. Slowly a tongue crept followed by a pair of arms with long talons on it. Its head was then shown. It had no skin and its body was covered with mutated muscles. It had no eyes and had long sharp teeth. Its brains were mutated largely that it was already erupting out of its head. The tongue whips and tasted the air for more fresh blood. Neo then quickly fired but missed. The creature quickly went back under the chopper as the four of them tried to back away quickly.

"What did you do that for?" Rachelle shouted.

"It knows we are here of course!"

"That thing is blind!" Rachelle reasoned out. "Major Robinsons told me they fought a few. They were like the next level of mutation after being like them. However, only a few of them turns to one of those."

"Your explanation is only theoretical." Neo answered back as they quickly back of away as the creature showed up again. They quickly shoot at it but it was extremely fast. It slammed itself into one of the houses. Crashing noises were heard from within. "I already faced one of those before. We just have to crash its head."

"Then why did you shoot?"

"It can taste the air like a snake!" Neo answered back again. "It hunts for fresh meat and look at my wound! It's dripping with blood!"

Rachelle acknowledged his reason and nodded. The four of them aimed again but it made no noise. It had already camouflaged itself with its surroundings. The four of them stopped around a corner of the house. They kept themselves close so they wouldn't be attacked in a wide area. Suddenly they heard Matthew screamed from behind. A long tongue slithered around his body and was pulled upwards. They looked up as they saw the creature that hanged on the wall of the house beside them with Matthew in its tongue. He was pulled away into one of the windows with the creature. Rachelle jumped through the window on the first floor and ran upstairs quickly. She heard a fleshy sound and quickly ran into one of the rooms. She saw the creature's tongue that pierced under his right rib. He was still alive and struggling but the tongue was just powerful to keep him entangled.

Rachelle quickly aimed and fired. It blasted a part of the creature's head but the brain wasn't damage. It was so close but it didn't hit the jackpot. The tongue released its victim and the creature jumped outside the window. David just arrived behind her. He then quickly assisted Matthew whose blood was still dripping out of his wound. David grabbed Matthew and dragged him downstairs with Rachelle behind them. They landed on the first floor with Neo shooting outside. Rachelle quickly ran and grabbed her magnum pistol in a hidden holster inside her body armor and aim. The creature jumped repeatedly from one point to another but there was short interval before it would jump again. She predicted the next spot and shoot. The bullet hit the creature hard on the shoulder and was blasted away. The shoulder was shattered and it shrieked in pain. It dropped on the ground, seemingly dead. However, Rachelle saw the fast mutation that was happening on its shoulder. It was still alive. She saw the tongue whipped the air and tried to find its attacker. Matthew hit the glass of a nearby car and got in which caught Rachelle's attention. Matthew stabbed the key slot with his knife and quickly hotwired the vehicle. He started the vehicle and stopped in front Rachelle.

"Shoot the gas tank as soon as I ran over that thing."

"Are you crazy? You will die!" Rachelle answered.

"I'm already infected with the virus. I will NOT turn into one of them."

Rachelle saw his heroic act and tried to make something out of it. "Fine!" she said with regret. She made an aim near the creature and prepared for the right chance. Matthew stepped on the pedal and the vehicle made a run for it. The vehicle made it far away before drifting and making a turn. He made sure the gas tank was visible to Rachelle's sight. He stepped on the pedal and ran over the creature as it shrieked in pain. It clawed the door but Rachelle was already perfectly aimed on the tank. She pulled the trigger and the bullet hit the tank. In a second the car exploded and blasted away the flesh and blood of the creature along with Matthew's body. He made a sacrifice but he would die eventually since he was infected with the virus. He was able to make out of something until his last breathe. Rachelle saw a bright light going straight into the atmosphere.

_Could it be?_ Rachelle quickly snapped into the thought. The military might have fired another N-2 to nuke the whole town. Fear engulfed her body as she saw the light going into the atmosphere. Hope left her like a wave as she fell on her knees. Neo and David were mesmerized on her act. They thought it was because it was the loss of Matthew but they just thought that they might have been close in secret. They never saw those two as a couple but Rachelle just hopelessly pointed at the light going up. The light stopped at its highest peak and exploded in the atmosphere.

Echo-three pushed the debris that was on top of him. Everything was in ruins. He tried to find his teammates but dust and smoke were covering the whole area. The whole didn't collapse on them. It would be hard to make it to the surface but they would just hope for the best. He stood up and looked around. One of the areas was on fire. There won't be enough time and the fire will spread out. He tried to look for any signs of life. He found a body under debris. He quickly ran to it and lifted it away from him. It was Echo-one. He put his fingers on his neck and checked his pulse. He was alive. He shook his captain and slapped him a few times to wake him up.

"Wake up! Wake up will you! Chris Altmark, wake up you idiot!"

"I heard ya!" he replied weakly. He opened his eyes and tried to stand up. There was pain in his chest.

"Are you ok?"

"I've been better. Some broken ribs maybe but I can hang on. Where are the others?"

"I just woke up recently. You're the first one I've found so far."

"We have to get out of here as soon as possible." He replied as soon as he saw the flames that were covering an area. He scanned around but there were no other bodies found.

"There you are! I thought you people were gone!" someone said behind them. It was Echo-two and Echo-five.

Echo-three looked at Echo-five's splinted arm.

"We were already awake minutes ago. Then we saw you stood up." He explained.

"But I looked around."

"It's hard to look around with smoke eh?"

"Did you find Echo-four?" Echo-one asked.

No one said something. She was still missing. Not even her body was found. It looks like that only the four of them are well and alive. The explosion had nearly killed everyone in the area but them. It looks like only the four of them will be able to get out.

"She's MIA." Echo-one announced.

Everyone looked down. Echo-one made the first step and tried to find a probable exit. But before he could make a step, a monstrous arm erupted out of the ground.

Jill was still awake and was still looking outside the window. She could see the place below looking greener. She could even see live wild animals below. She was surprised to life out of the odds again. It simply means they are finally out of the reach of the virus again. She was astonished of not seeing a vast area where life is still preserved. In fact, just seeing the view just made her feel safe again. Claire and Carlos were still navigating the chopper as they went on forward. Jill noticed the slowly descending sun in the horizon. Its fierce color reminds her how hard it was for all of them. They haven't got much of sleep lately. She could remember the last time she slept was when they quarantined behind bars in the previous area. At the far area she could see, there were already small buildings. As soon as the chopper got closer, she realized that they were houses. She was more surprised to see a group of people gathering up at the center. It only looks that they have already reached the area where they will stay for a while. The chopper got nearer and nearer the area. She saw a large area where they can land as she could feel the altitude of the chopper lowering. She woke up the kids who still except for Aiden who helping her on waking them up.

"We're here folks!" Claire announced.

"Finally." Jill said, she could feel her butt getting sore for sitting there for a long time.

Carlos shifted a bit in his seat. Jill noticed the cloth that was around Carlos' shoulder and was wrapped around his arm. It looked like that he tried to elevate his arm to it wound mend properly. Carlos noticed her staring at his broken shoulder.

"Don't worry." Carlos said. He shifted his arm a bit. "It's just a sprain. Nothing's broken."

"You should have moved faster." Jill replied coldly. She moved forward as Claire slid the door open. The kids automatically got out of the chopper and lined up themselves. Claire just stayed by the door and waited for everyone to gather up. There were a group of people gathered but they were far from them, on the other side of the area. Carlos was the last one to arrive.

"Don't worry everyone. I had already made some arrangements where all of you could stay." Claire announced. "There was a vacant house at that side of the block and since Jill had already told me you will be coming I've already prepared for you arrival."

A woman with long sandy blonde hair approached them from the group of people at the other side of the field. Her emerald green eyes attracted their eyes as she lively walked beside Claire. "This is Amber, she found this group of survivors and let others occupy the houses of the people who left and ran for their lives. The place really wasn't supposed to last long but it has still a good distance from the virus infected areas. I pleaded to make some arrangements."

"Nice to meet all of you." Amber said happily. "It's nice to see a new set of fellow humans again. I only have a few rules. NO ONE goes beyond the fences without permission and always respect one another. If there are problems just call me or Claire. During the night, ALWAYS lock all doors and windows. If ever the virus had reached the area, quickly move inside that fence with a group of vehicles. We'll immediately start a convoy ride out of here. Also, those watch towers were built to look around. Someone is always there so don't worry. So that's pretty much it."

"Thank you." Carlos said, being the gentleman.

"No need." Amber said. She pointed to a house at the far end of the block. "Just get inside there."

Jill led while Carlos was at the back of the group. There were eight kids with all of them. Max, Nikki and Lyle were together. Jordan, Thomas and Ashley were also with each other while Angie kept close to Jill. Aiden was behind before Carlos. He kept himself silent but Carlos could see that sadness and regret in his eyes. He approached the boy on the way and put his arm around his shoulder and gently rubbed his back to give some self esteem. Aiden just looked up to him and gave a sly smile before returning to a neutral state. He showed no emotions and would usually try to help. He was a bit mysterious since he was first found crying his eyes out in a corner.

Jill approached the front door. She grabbed the knob and turned it before opening the door completely. She then entered and made a quick scan around the house. It was just a bungalow. There were only three rooms available. Jill could only think of one combination. The siblings would be staying with each other. Since Ashley and Thomas have an extra room for one, Jordan will be with them. Angie and Aiden will sleep together in a room and the two of the, will be sleeping on the sofa. Jill shouted for them to gather up in the small living room.

"There are three rooms." She announced. "Nikki, Max and Lyle will be together, and so are Jordan, Thomas and Ashley. Aiden and Angie will be on the other and Carlos and I will sleep on the sofa. It's getting late and all of you, please rest while you can. We'll be leaving in a few days."

"Why are we leaving so early?" Angie asked.

"We're head to east. You can stay if you want. It's your choice where you would like to stay but we'll hunt for a vehicle and some supplies before we go east."

"It's getting late, give it a rest people." Carlos shouted over the small murmurings they kept making. It looks like they've owned an adoption agency due to the minors they had."I will try to see if they have something for us to eat."

Carlos and Jill head for the door. "Ashley and Aiden, you're in charge for a while"

Aiden just sat on the chair near the sofa set and closed his eyes, seemingly asleep while Ashley tried to tolerate their needs. Carlos and Jill looked around try to see if Amber or Claire was around. The sun or the horizon was almost down. The sunset was beautiful but under it were thousands of hopeless people. Jill almost twisted her head trying to find either of the two until Claire walked out from a house nearby. Jill and Carlos quickly approached her.

"What about the others that were left behind?" Jill quickly asked.

"I'm afraid we will have to wait until tomorrow." She replied. "It's hard to see in the night now that electricity is no more in that area. Besides, use this chance to get yourselves some rest. It will be a long journey."

"Do you have anything we can east?" Carlos asked.

"I'm afraid all we have are canned goods."

"Figures."

"Well, we can't do anything. It's the only food available since it's easily preserved."

"We'll take some." Jill said.

"Just asked Amber by knocking her door." Claire said, point it another bungalow house nearby. Jill could see the windows were well barricaded in case of emergency. Jill and Carlos said thanks and moved towards the house. Carlos gently knocked on the door. There was no answer. He waited for a bit before he knocked again. The door swung open. Carlos was surprised to see a young preteen open it and pointed a gun at them. He raised his hands except for his broken shoulder and so did Jill. Carlos was more surprised to see the emotionless eyes of the boy. It was almost like Aiden's. There was something he could tell but he wasn't sure. All he thought of was to get out of their current situation.

"Chance! Stop!" Amber said, shrieking in bewilderment.

The boy obeyed and put down his guns. He said something but Jill could see his mouth open and said sorry. The boy whom they assumed Chance bowed his head and ran to one of the rooms.

"I'm really sorry for that."

"It's fine." Carlos said. "We were just surprised."

"Who was that?"

"Well, come on in first. Let's sit at the living room." Carlos and Jill gladly accepted the invitation and followed her inside. The house was pretty much cramped and small. It didn't look this bad from outside. The both of them sat on the sofa while Amber sat opposite of them.

"I would like to introduce you people to him, but I guess you met him earlier than expected."

"I told you we were just surprised to see something like that." Carlos said calmly. "So, who was that?"

"That boy was Chance. I kind of adopted him after hell ran over. I found him at a nearby town surrounded by those things. I got help from my brother Robert and shoot them so we can save him. Then we went back here as soon as possible. Suddenly, Robert started teaching him how to use firearms so he could protect himself. He was afraid at first but he was actually a good shot."

"I see. So you mean you are not the only people who live here?" Jill asked curiously.

"Well, the two of us then my brother. Claire sometimes stays here since he got attached too much to the boy. Some of the people who volunteered as guards on the watch towers also stay here."

"Who really runs everything?"

"Huh?"

"Your president? The one that is in charge of everything."

"Well, it's mainly Chris, Claire's brother. However, they always point at ME since I were the one who gathered up most of the survivors in the area. So, after Chris and her sister arrived to check some areas, he found our group and tried to help us, he end up having us as companions. He gave us rules to follow and managed to gather them up and they automatically followed him. We were really grateful he arrived even though it's accident."

"How many people are here anyway?" Jill asked.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't count how many are there. There are some people who accidentally came by before and they kept coming every week. Some left and just said thanks but that's that." She said, laughing the question off. "I haven't been in track lately since everyone's busy trying to gather up supplies. Why did you come here anyway, is there problem somehow?"

"Oh, about that, we came here to get some food to eat." Carlos bravely said.

"Well I can get you the last ones at the storage house but we're low on supplies lately."

"Well, we can both work harder." Jill suggested. It almost caught Amber's attention. "I think that we should also help in finding some supplies in nearby areas."

"I would be very grateful if you would."

"It's no problem. We are just playing fair."

"There is a specific area a few miles from here that we haven't check. I have been there twice and I can remember there were a few stores at that town. We can raid them and get more supplies for everybody."

The front door and a man entered. He was around his thirties and had sandy blonde hair. He had a thick mustache and wore a cowboy hat. In his hands was a sniper. Carlos could recognize the model and he knew it had a high caliber. He was a bit of a panic but he stayed sharp and cold. "Chase just reported they have been sighted by our scouts a few miles from here."

"It's almost here." Amber whispered.


	32. Wings

Chapter 32

Wings

Adam screamed to the top of his lungs for Eve who lay defenseless on the ground. He tried to stand up and run before the huge creature could reach her but she was on the other side. Scarlet was also between them who made a move and got ready to clap her hands. She just raised her arms and extended it towards Adam and Caleb who were still at their places and stood still. Adam was tried to run but Scarlet knew he won't even get past her. She grabbed the air as if she was grabbing someone. She made a gently pushed and Adam was sent away and was thrown into the ground. She then opened her other palm and slammed it to the ground which made an effect on Adam. The force pushed Adam to the ground so great that he was buried into it and made a mid-size crater while the huge creature slithered around Eve upwards.

It slithered around like a snake while Eve motionlessly followed its movements by her eyes. The eye moved with curiosity and understanding of her movements. She tried to slowly move her hands and held the handle of her gun on her right thigh. The pain was still emitting from the wound and kept her from moving more. She was in pain and so is Adam. He was buried to the ground as Scarlet stood at her position. Her emotionless eyes gazed upon the crater where Adam was. He was still seen and only a part of his body was buried. The other two centipede-like creatures stood menacingly beside her. Their eyes were fixed on their enemies who ran for cover. Phillip was beside Steve and they were hiding behind a huge rock. Caleb was standing and Chris was nearby with a gun aimed. It started slithering towards Chris which caught his attention and aimed at it instead. Scarlet used this distraction and raised her arm. She flicked her hand a bit releasing a small amount of energy that quickly got to Chris' position. Caleb noticed the small vibrations that were sent throughout the field. It happened in just a split second and Chris didn't notice this. Scarlet manipulated the magnetic force around his body and turned the magnetic force around her hand into the opposite force. It caused a strong attraction and since the energy was now tightly wrapped around his body and was pulled to Scarlet. Her katana slipped downwards from her other sleeve and flicked it. Chris' rifle was snapped into the air and landed far away from him. She prepared to stab Chris who was now just a couple of meters near her. In a second, Scarlet had already grabbed Chris by his neck and strangled him. He tried to fight back but the enemy was just too powerful. Scarlet readied herself to stab her prey. However, before the sword could even reach Chris, Caleb who was now overridden again by Icarus appeared near her and grabbed her arm with the katana.

Scarlet did nothing but her pets did. One tried to charge at Icarus. It slithered around him and wrapped him in its body. Icarus released his grip on Scarlet's arm but before he was moved away by the other creature, he flicked his arm which made the katana moved away. He started vibrating the molecules that was around his hand. He could feel the friction the continuously heated his hand until he was able to create magnetic pulses. His handed lit up but it still wasn't able to release strong electric currents like Adam did. He waved his hand a bit since his goal was to break free from the body of the huge creature. Suddenly there was a spark and his hand emitted a concentrated amount of electric pulse. He slashed the creature through its belly. It shrieked in pain as Icarus now managed to break free and jumped down. He then stood up again struck its only eye. He followed it with another attack cut the larger end of the body and it fell with a strong thud on the ground. One of her pets was now dead. He sighted Scarlet again with Chris still in her grasp. Chris wasn't fighting back anymore and was almost unconscious due to the lack of oxygen. He could sense that he was still alive but he won't last if this continues. Scarlet stretched her free hand towards the katana and the katana was quickly pulled back into her arm. She had grasped again her reliable weapon and prepared to stab Chris again. Steve began shooting at Scarlet but she just dropped her katana to the ground downwards that it was stabbed on the ground. She quickly raised her arm towards him and the bullets stopped in mid air. Guns were useless as long as she is able to stop it with her mental abilities.

Icarus dashed in front of her with his hand blade still active. He prepared himself to stab her quickly. However, before he could stab her, she already released his grip on Chris and had already sent him flying to the other side with a good amount of force. Icarus was surprised how fast she reacted and was more surprised to see her over him. Scarlet jumped over him and was currently above with her front facing him. Scarlet simply clapped her hands and released a good amount of force which sent her upwards and Icarus downwards. The force was strong enough to create a crater under. Scarlet landed near his crater and looked again back into the battlefield. Chris was knocked over at another side. Steve was now currently beside Phillip, both weren't moving or flinching. Eve stayed at another side. She was well awake but the pain had already started to go away. However, the creature was watching every of her move. It seems that it would attack her if she ever made a major move.

Icarus stood up again groggily and shook his head before facing Scarlet's emotionless eyes again. There were only two creatures left. The other one just slithered beside her and growled a noisy scream. Icarus prepared himself for another attack. Icarus charged his hand another concentrated electric pulse. He just imitated another of Adam's attack. It only seems he knew more knowledge of his self than him. He prepared to charge again while Scarlet stood straight unmoving and her eyes just stared at him like she was judging his very soul. The problem is there were two but he was the one currently present.

Icarus made a charge again and tried to strike her at the head. However, she was able to grabbed his forearm before he'd even hit her. She just stared at bright light emitting around his hand and pulled his arm downwards and followed it up with a strong kick. However, Icarus jumped upwards, evading her kick. Icarus was now above her and attacked again with another kick. Scarlet simply block it then grabbed his leg. She quickly released her grip on his arm and threw him somewhere far. Icarus landed safely but the creature charged at him. His right hand was still active and still emitted a good amount of energy. His was just bright light and had frequent burst of electricity. However, Adam had more power. His pulse was raging and bursting with lightning of pure energy. It was so great that it will explode. Icarus was just so amazed how he learned that. He side stepped a bit to evade its charged attack then quickly grabbed its side of the head with his charged up hand. He sent the electric pulse towards its body. Its cells and internal liquids automatically spread the current towards its whole body. It shrieked in pain and agony as its body emitted a faint glow of light. He released the head and it automatically fell on the ground. His hand was still active and shining bright. Sudden bursts of electricity were still present. That was now two down. One was brutally killed while the other was electrocuted to death. Scarlet stood still from a distance and in an instant he was within her reach. Scarlet slashed Icarus but he blocked is using his charged hand. The katana was shattered into small pieces. Scarlet then grabbed his forearm where the energy was charged. She started to withdraw a lot of energy from his hand which he noticed. Icarus tried to kick her but Scarlet simply pushed him away with her mental energy. Scarlet pierced the ball of energy so it will sap out the main sphere. Its volume and mass will continuously decrease and became an unstable entity of energy. The main sphere started to collapse and kept releasing bolts of electricity that sparked everywhere. Scarlet on the other hand manipulated the force on her hand to attract the released energy. She was like a Tesla coil and gathered the released energy in the form of electricity and absorbed it in her hand. She focused her energy and compressed the energy into very small sparking light in her palm. Icarus was thrown back and quickly stood up. The explosion in his hand caused it to bleed and cause pain.

Icarus' pain started to withdraw and his hand started rapidly healed. However, before he could move, Scarlet pointed the small spark towards him and she pushed it with her mental force. It immediately went to Icarus' direction, but due to the lack of the energy to compress the object, it started to break apart. The force caused the outer layer of the ball to disrupt itself released the massive amount of energy stored inside it. It then erupted and exploded between the two of them but the explosion was only on one direction. It was like a powerful shockwave that was sent towards Icarus. It destroyed the ground that was hit and the explosion was continuous. It also made a loud exploding noise that nearly shattered the ears of everyone and the ground shook stronger as if a strong earthquake had hit it. Huge cracks and fissures appeared everywhere. One of the houses even collapsed on its basement. It took a few seconds before the inner core of energy collapsed and started to draw in objects. Neither of them expected this and Icarus was the first one to draw in. Scarlet quickly thought of something and pushed a good amount of energy into her hands. She made a quick mutation which changed her fingers into talons. She pierced them towards to ground to hold her and don't get sucked.

Icarus was almost at the center. He could see the rocks that were sucked in vanished into thin air. In a second he was a meter away from it. The force was too great and he won't be able to get out of there. He could feel the gravity was stronger when you are closer. His hand was sucked in and couldn't feel anything anymore. Then, his whole arm vanished into the warping hole. It was a minimized black hole and there is a possibility that he will be warped into somewhere. In a matter of seconds he vanished the hole stopped. Chris and the other hanged on to something to get themselves attached to the ground. Eve was the farthest from hole so the gravity wasn't strong enough to pull her. Icarus only saw one thing. He was on top of Scarlet, falling towards her. He must have been warped. Before he was completely sucked in he tried gathering all the energy that was sucked in. Anything that was caught in it was turned into energy with its equivalent amount. He gathered that up and he found a huge amount at the center of the hole. He tried sapping energy from it which caused the gravity of the hole to deteriorate and stop. He can't explain how he got there but he was able to regain a huge amount of energy to start another ball of concentrated energy. The vibration of the molecules went faster and made the magnetic pulse grow stronger and stronger. The friction caused more heat and created sparks of electricity again. It wasn't his hand this time but a ball of the energy manifested itself. He then released it above Scarlet who just saw him. She pulled her arms apart with all of her might. The hand severed itself from her talon hands. She mutated herself again to grow back a pair of hands and clapped them before Icarus could ignite a powerful explosion above her. The two massive amount of energy battled by the explosion was too great for Icarus to handle. He broke the surface of the ball that was faced towards Scarlet and maintained the surface of energy behind it so it won't explode at him. However, due to the immense energy that was released all at once, that surface of energy began to break apart. He put his other hand towards it and concentrated a new amount of energy so it won't break apart. Scarlet kept releasing intense amount of energy to counteract but his was greater and her own barrier broke apart on her. She was pushed hard into the ground. The energy that erupted throughout was so great that the huge cracks on the ground began to elevate unevenly. The dead body of the creature they had encountered before Scarlet arrived fell into one of the crevices. The explosion caused a huge tremor around the area that the houses already started to break apart.

Icarus was thrown upwards but he twisted himself so that he could properly land. He landed nearby and the explosion collapsed upon itself and started to draw them again. Icarus tried to find a small distortion in the air. It was a few meter beside Adam's crater. He rushed into it and put his hand inside the ball where the air was slightly distorted and glowing. The explosion caused a small warp hole and its center is somewhere nearby. When the hole is full of pure energy, it will transfer to its center where it will release the massive amount of energy that was gathered up. He tried to draw the energy around it so it will use it all up that it will stop the gravity towards it. He transferred it to himself to regain all that he had lost. However, it was a bit harmful to his body since it wasn't his own natural energy and was foreign. However, he was able to store it and the hole stopped.

Scarlet was on the crater, unconscious and not moving. She was knocked out silly by the massive explosion. She was defeated for short and Icarus did it. However, one of her pets held Eve and was wrapped around her. She was struggling but there was nothing she could do as the creature opened it mouth and prepared itself to devour it prey. Icarus started gathering a huge amount of energy and compressed it all at once. He shifted it into small tiny layers where each layer rapidly spinned against each other. It caused friction immediately and began to burn up. He had a fireball in his hand but it was from something which he just realized from his fight and with a flick of his palm, it shot towards the head of the creature. As soon as it landed on the head, it made a burning explosion that engulfed its upper body on fire. Icarus quickly rushed to it and grabbed Eve out of its embrace and put her down where it is safe. She stood up and was as tall as he is. The wounds on her forearm vanished and had no scratch. She was like them. She was injected too with T-Virus but her body adapted to it.

"Who are you?" Icarus asked. His voice was different from the usual human voice. It was abit distorted and his voice was like two different people speaking in unison. This caused Eve to back a bit. He wasn't human. One of the voices sounded like one but the other sounded like a monster or a devil.

"I-I'm Eve." She timidly said. She had tears in her eyes. "Please help my brother."

Icarus stared at her and stood still. His fiery red eyes met her emerald green. He was inside his own conscious mind. Two souls faced each other. Caleb was in front of him. He was young and innocent, only vanquished by the Umbrella Corporation. They faced each other and Caleb stretched his hand towards him.

"Isn't it my turn yet." Caleb spoke.

"This isn't your body anymore."

"You're not the one they know."

"They will now!" Icarus replied with a demonic voice.

"My body will follow me."

"But who is dominating?"

"Me." Caleb said and a bright light engulfed both of them. Icarus closed his eyes and had his arm over his head due to the intensity of the light. Caleb dominated again over his body as he looked upon Eve who was now starting to cry for his brother. She sensed the quick change of aura that enveloped the boy before him. His eyes changed color and he's gray skin went back to normal. Thin red veins that slightly appeared on his cheek disappeared and its like she was facing a completely different person.

"Let's go."

Steve came out of his hiding place and quickly got to Chris who was now conscious of his surroundings. He helped him up and slowly went to them. Phillip got to Adam first and watched as Caleb and the girl walked towards him. Steve and Chris got there too. Steve carried him out of the crater and laid him on a nearby flat surface on his back. Adam was still unconscious. The force must have been great for him to be like this. Caleb and the others followed him and got beside Adam.

"Stand back." He kindly said. Eve could see he had different eyes. He had red eyes on his left and blue on his right. His skin was slightly pale. He stretched his arm and everyone moved back. He started to gather up energy and rapidly spun it against layers of the energy that was gathered up on his arm. It began to create a good amount of magnetic pulse to create electricity on his hand. He raised his hand upwards as bolts of lightning emerged and hit random places near him. This caused for the others to move back farther. Steve was just amazed how his nephew could do it. He just knew he wasn't human anymore and now he was forming his own lightning. Caleb charged it up for a few seconds more. The vibration of the molecules was going faster and faster exponentially.

"This is an opportunity." Caleb could hear Icarus whisper in his head. Suddenly, both of his eyes turned red and his pale skin went from pale to completely gray. His canine teeth turned into fangs as he smiled demonically at the boy in front of him. He pointed his arm towards Adam and compressed all of it into a tiny sparking light. He was now ready to release that energy. Eve could sense the surface of the outer layer of the energy thinning and it was like it was going to break apart.

"NOOOOO!"

Alice was pushed back to the ground as soon as she pulled the trigger. The bullet didn't hit area and blasted off somewhere. She saw the masked man in front of her with a pair of crow-like wings stretching from his back. It slowly withered and the feathers flew off with the air into the distance. It slowly closed and return to his back where she couldn't see the view.

"So Mirage, what's your plan?" Alice quickly stood up and aim for him but the gun suddenly broker apart as soon as she aimed it at him. She could see it was sliced multiple times and noticed the short katana Mirage was holding. Alice dropped the gun and prepared herself to attack and get attacked.

Mirage simply stood still. Alice tried forcing him using her telekinetic abilities. She gathered a good amount of her energy and released it at once towards Mirage. It shot off the blast which created a fissure that quickly ran towards Mirage. The blast quickly dispersed in front of him and the cracks that elevated suddenly backfired and caused a shockwave that went towards her. However, the energy was already dispersed that it didn't have the amount for the shockwave to reach her. Mirage suddenly appeared in front of her which surprised her and he tried to grab her. She could now see his movements and could move along with it now that she is having the peak of her abilities. Alice dodged his attempt and tried to kick him but he was still faster. He was already on top of her with the attempt to stab her with his sword from above but Alice dodged it and tried to counteract. However, Mirage disappeared and his hand grabbed her from her back and pulled her towards him. He had already put his arm around her neck and the other at the back of her head. He was going to twist her head. The thought struck her and asked herself why is he going to kill her if they needed her. The distraction of the thought caused Alice to put her guard down even by the smallest bit and Mirage used this chance but Alice blasted him away with her telekinetic ability. Mirage landed a few meters away but Alice had already recovered and charge at him then hit him with her fist. Mirage dodged it but it was a feint and Alice followed it up by a kick. Mirage managed to block then grab her leg. He then jumped above her and prepared to strike her downwards. Alice tried to dodge but it was too late. Mirage kicked her not downwards but rather going farther away where she rolled on the ground to recover then quickly stood up. Mirage quickly got near her but Alice counterattacked quickly and tried to push him away with her mental abilities but before he was completely blasted away, she grabbed his arm and punched him to the face with her bare fist. He was blasted back and landed on his back. He slowly stood up. There was a crack on his mask. A second later, it broke apart and the pieces fell.

"No, it can't be you, Caleb?" Alice gasped as the person simply smiled.

Author's Note:

Please often check my profile to see some updates. Thank you for reading this far! :)


	33. Ease

Chapter 33

Ease

"What do we do now?" Neo asked Scarlet. She was still staring up into the sky.

"We have got to get out of here." Rachelle said.

"I think we'll have to do that by foot." David suggested.

"What do you mean?" Rachelle asked curiously.

"Did you saw how high it was when it blew up? It was already _high_ up there and I think that it just caused an EMP effect. I'm sure all of the electronics stuff here in this area is all fried up." He brought out his radio and turned it on. Nothing happened and his point was proven and the two already acknowledged what he meant.

"Great!" Neo said sarcastically. "This sucks."

"We have no choice." Rachelle said. "We have to go now."

"I just had an idea." Neo said.

"What?"

"Let's try finding bicycles or anything we could use to travel around."

"What about your wound?"

"Bring me one with a cart." Neo said, laughing his ass off.

"Yeah right." Rachelle said. It was obvious that she was irritated of his comment.

David left and walked towards the house. It was possible and it is better than walking then suddenly, an idea hit him. There was checkpoint within the city wherein there is an underground basement under it. He remembered that there are vehicles there and it was possible that those vehicles were saved from the EMP explosion caused by whatever that was launched up there. Along the way, he glanced at the burning car quickly. He could clearly see the outline of William's dead body. He withdrew his disgusted look and jogged to one of the house doors. With one mighty kick, he pushed the door open with his rifle at the ready. He scanned the whole first floor and tried to find the door that leads to the garage. He opened doors one after another. He imagined what will the blueprint of the house will be referring to what the house looked like from outside. He turned around and opened one of the doors again and found a body on the floor. He quickly glanced and scanned the body in order to verify if it was wounded. It was a body of a woman, probably early thirties and he thought that she might be one of them already. He pushed the body with his foot to shop her front. So far, he hadn't found any wounds yet. However, there was an awkward feeling. Her skin didn't have the normal fleshy look. He kneeled down and reached for her neck. There wasn't any pulse that he could feel. The skin was quite cold and pale. It would only seem that the body was already dead before he even got there. He stood up again and saw the body move. It grabbed his foot and was about to bite it. She was already one of them. He kicked it off to release it firm grip from his foot. After nudging it off, he kicked it again and the head twisted, breaking its neck and it fell with a thud. He went back again to the main room and searched again for the right door. He opened another one and found a hallway. There was another door on the other end of it and there were tools everywhere. It was like an attic only that it was like a hall. He walked up to the door and opened it. It was the garage and there was a bicycle that was hanging on the ceiling. It was a red and black BMX bike. There was only one but it was better than nothing. He took out his knife and slashed the rope that was attached to it. He slowly lifted it down properly. He found the garage switch but he knew it won't work. He just grabbed the edge of it and pulled it upwards. Surprisingly, he was able to pull it but there was a nudge halfway. The mechanism wasn't made for manual use so it would be damaged in the end if it was ever used in the wrong way. He slid down the bike and himself outside and dragged it to where Rachelle and Neo were.

"Sorry I found only one."

"It's fine, you can go and get us something to ride on." Rachelle firmly said.

David couldn't argue anymore and rode on the bike. He quickly stepped on the pedal and rode on it. He was already a few meters away from him. He just had to get to one of the military checkpoint and find a vehicle at the underground parking. It was just as easy as that and he won't have to encounter a lot of them since he is constantly moving and he won't be getting tired even after all those events. There was still muscle pain in some parts of his body after his actions were restricted by those needles. Sometimes, it even felt funny since his nervous system was precisely disrupted and was taken advantage of. He was already a hundred meters away. He made a turn around a block and saw the sign which says 'Walker St.' He thought of the street and tried to remember the map. Fortunately, he did and remembered that the checkpoint was a few blocks away ahead of him. Some of them were randomly seen with bloody faces and rolled up eyes. They were salivating for food and since he hadn't had any wounds, they won't be attracted to his position.

Carlos and Jill got tensed after Robert told them the bad news. The virus was rapidly spreading and it would only be days before it would reach them. They just had to move faster than before and leave the place. Amber walked to one of the doors and opened it.

"Chance, honey, prepare your stuff. We're leaving!"

They just heard the boy said ok and Amber walked to a barricaded window and opened it. She stared into the sunset in the horizon as if she lost something important. Her brother just stayed where he was and was also overwhelmed by the news. It was no big deal but there were survivors in the area that they have to evacuate. Also, they are low on supplies and there aren't many hands that could work. They couldn't also put everyone on search duty and since now that the virus was already nearby, they have to put more guards on duty. The pressure was on her as she was the leader for their survival. She will be the one responsible for their lives now and she as no joke.

"You know, we can still be a help if you want. It is no big deal to us and I mean we should really help each other. It is for our own good anyway." Carlos suggested.

"Thank you very much." She said with a smile. At least there was good news and she thought that everything would be better now. "But there are only two adults?"

"Those kids would be fine!" he replied with a bit of pride. "They had already endured a lot of experiences with them. I'm sure they won't be much of a burden since they knew how to use weapon against them."

"Well that's a first at least." Amber replied, showing a sign of relief. She sighed and her brother just left the house. "I guess I could give you some supplies. No one can move with an empty stomach. We'll find a few more supplies tomorrow. You people can rest for the day, I saw those kids really tired when hopped out of the chopper."

"Speaking of the chopper, where did you get that?" Jill curiously asked.

"There were a few military checkpoints a few towns from here. They were trying to contain the virus to prevent it from spreading, and of course, they failed. We were able to reach that area and it was already overrun by them. We had no choice. Robert did some of his magic and he was able to get us out of there in a jiffy."

"Magic?"

"He's a mechanical engineer. I don't know what he did but it was a good thing that he did. Anyway, I'm going to get some food we have left." Amber left the room and went to the kitchen. Chance walked out of his room and ran outside. He didn't even try to look at them as if he was disgusted. Carlos knew he was just the shy type of kid but beyond those innocent looking eyes were also pain he shared with everyone. The pain of losing people he knew dear and everyone had already experienced it. His innocence was already ravaged as he already knew how to use a gun for a young kid. However, it was for their own good. They had to know how to protect themselves one way or another. Amber went back to them with a bag of canned goods. She gave two bags full of it to the two. They simply said thank you and went out of the house.

"I see you have your supplies." Claire said, approaching them.

"Yup and I don't see why we shouldn't." Carlos replied. "When will we get them?"

"Probably tomorrow."

"But we have to hunt for supplies before we leave."

"Who said about leaving?"

"Amber did. The virus had already reached a few kilometers away from here."

"What?"

"Robert said it to her while we get for supplies. Apparently, she said that we have to start collecting supplies starting tomorrow and prepare ourselves to leave as soon as possible."

"What about the rescue mission?" Jill butted.

"I guess two of us will be the only one to go. I suggest you since you won't be able to carry some of the supplies. I hate to say it but it is true."

"I know. I guess I'll go with you tomorrow."

"Ok. I guess I'll go make the preparations for tomorrow." She finally said and left.

Carlos and Jill walked into the house and opened the door. Thomas, Angie and Ashley were on the living room, chatting with one another. It seems that they were having fun, seeing them chuckling and laughing made them at ease. At least, they don't have to get all the pressure. Carlos and Jill put down their supplies on the kitchen. Carlos went and looked if everyone was complete. Lyle, Nikki and Max were sleeping in their assigned room. They had a hell of a day and resting is a good option too. The only boys missing now were Aiden and Jordan.

"Jordan and Aiden is gone." He warned Jill.

"They might have gone outside." She simply said. She was at the kitchen, putting the supplies out of its bags and sorting them out. She was choosing one which one they would cook for them.

"You cook?" Carlos asked randomly.

"Fine! Then you cook for us!" she said sarcastically. "As if you are a better cook than me."

"What if I am?" he replied. "I'll just go find the two boys and take them back here."

Carlos left the house again and looked around. He finally noticed the calmness of the area. There were a few houses that could probably be filled with other people that were striving to survive. He saw the fenced area and a restriction sign attached to its gates. It says the usual Keep Out sign and it's just that. It would only seem that there is really something beyond those fences. There were a few kids playing around at the far end of the block. They were still trying to relieve some stress and being themselves even after all what happened. He approached to see if those two boys were there. Along the way, two of the kids began to fight and rumbled against each other. The others only seem to laugh it off and no one was stopping those two as they fight mercilessly. He ran to them and both _knew_ how to fight. He could recognize those moves from Aiden and as soon as he got near, he really was Aiden. Jordan was with the other two boys who were watching. He recognized the one Aiden was fighting was none other than Chance. He was more surprised now.

"What the hell is going on here?" He roared at the boys who were goofing around. They just stopped and everyone looked at him.

"They were just sparring." Jordan explained. "We were talking about fighting them and we got to martial arts and Aiden started saying he knew and so did Chance. Then they challenged each other."

"Ok I see but don't do it hard. We need Aiden by tomorrow and Chance might go too."

"Why?" Aiden asked. "We'll hunt for supplies. Well, you and Jill will go with them while I go with Claire and get Caleb and the others."

"I'm really worried for them." Jordan said. "You think they are alright?"

"Of course! You know what your cousin Caleb can do." Carlos could only say it to encourage the boy. He too was unsure and worried about the others. He just wished he was with them right now but he had a sprain and won't be much help. Hopefully it would be fine within a week. "Anyway, go back to the house later for dinner."

"Sure Carlos." Aiden said. "We'll just be here. We can't go anywhere else anyway."

"You are right about that." Carlos finally said and left them.

"Should we continue?" Aiden asked Chance. Chance just showed a sly smile and delivered a strike towards his face. Aiden dodged it and grabbed the arm Chance used to strike him and pulled downwards and kick him to the torso. Chance just jumped and stepped over his leg. Aiden could feel Chance' weight and notice that he had lightweight build. That explains why he was so agile. He strikes with precise motion and quick jabs. He didn't have much power since he was still a preteen. He was just eleven and could barely make muscles that could provide him more strength and power. He was using his agile build to his advantage. Chance jumped over him and delivered a low sweep. Aiden released his grip on his forearm and backed away. He now noticed that both of them can do aerial stunts. If Chance relied on pure speed, he would only rely on it when needed. He would usually deliver precise heavy blows on vital spots and would keep his pace up to dodge attacks against him. Whenever he finds a good spot to hit, he would quickly shift from speed to power blows. In short, he liked everything to be in balance unlike Chance who would only rely on speed to cope up with his weaknesses. Chance did a back hand spring to move farther from Aiden who charge at him and deliver a high kick that barely hit him. He bowed down with a minimum clearance to make up for a counter attack and strike his rib. Aiden blocked it with his elbow but Chance was faster. He had already moved to his back and kneed him to his other side. Aiden felt the pain as soon as Chance' knee had hit his side. He ignored it and delivered a counter attack but Chance was already prepared and back away. As soon as he turned around completely, he grunted in pain and held his side as the others said their woahs and ohhs. Chance used this chance to charge at him and follow up another attack. Aiden tried to strike him at mid level but Chance quickly dodged the attack and hit him with his arm with a chop at his thigh. Since Aiden was standing on one leg at the time and the other leg was his only foundation on his stance, he dropped down as soon as the chop hit him. He fell to the ground before standing again.

"God you are fast!" he complimented. He shifted to speed this time and quickly charged at him and lay low. Since he had more mass, his momentum increased and made him move much faster than Chance' expectations. He can be quick if he wishes too but he quickly shifted to power and tried to strike Chance at head level. Chance lowered himself just a little bit enough for him not to get hit. In fact, Aiden's arm was above his head by merely centimeters which made his hair move due to the force exerted on Aiden's arm. However, Aiden already knew this and struck him with his other palm squarely to his stomach. It was precisely done with a good amount of force that it knocked the air out of him. He was pushed back and landed on the ground hard on his back. The first thing he did was gasp for air. He gasped a few more times before standing up. He coughed up a bit and prepared himself again but Aiden was already in front of him, prepared to lay another strike on him again. All he could do now is to make a side step but Aiden was also prepared for that. As soon as Chance made a small move, Aiden threw a punch to his right part of the head and Chance dodged it. Chance didn't know it was just a light jab and a feint. Aiden followed it with kick which Chance blocked it. He noticed it was light which made him perceived that it was also another feint. Aiden's arm which he used to deliver a punch was still where it was and he swayed it to his head. Chance noticed the two feints he made and the real hit just before it hit him. His was shook by the force and Aiden followed it up with a few mid to heavy jabs to the body before a final sweep. Chance fell to the ground and grunted with pain.

"You are still better than me." He just said coldly. He coughed a few more times and grunted in pain. Aiden stretched simply stretched his hand to help his new friend. Chance gladly accepted it and pulled himself up. "It still hurts you know."

"I'm sorry you asked for it."

"Hey! I was just trying to win!"

"But you didn't." Aiden laughed. "Come one Jordan! Let's go back to the house. I'm starving! Catch you later guys!"

The boys said their goodbyes and went to their homes. Chance however, followed Jordan and Aiden. They chatted with each other along the way tried to still have a life even after the infection. They met Claire in the way to the house.

"It's good to see you guys getting along." She said.

'Yeah." Aiden said. "You going to the house too."

"Yes." She replied sharply, making Aiden a bit disturb. "Apparently, we have some bad news from Chris."

"What is the meaning of this?" Alice said, she can't believe who the man before him was.

Mirage just smiled and pulled down his hood enough so his face cannot be seen. He then pulled out his two huge kunai-shaped like swords from his back which he always carries and prepared for another battle. Alice knew she was in for a fight for her life. Mirage's face cannot be seen anymore and was covered by the shadows his hood made. She could still see the face that she believed was Caleb's. She was mesmerized how did that happened. Is it really Caleb that was tricking them all along? She thought of the others that they might have been killed already by him. Mirage threw one of his swords and Alice deflected them with her telekinetic abilities and it stopped in midair. However, Mirage had already grabbed that sword and moved to her rear. He slashed it and she dodged just in time. The swords had cut a few centimeters of her hair and she counterattacked with a low sweep. Mirage vanished before her and Ada was at his back with a well aimed gun at her. Alice used her telekinetic abilities to flick the gun out of her hand and rushed up to her. She noticed a syringe beside her holster. There were two slots, one was vacant and the other had a syringe in it. She quickly grabbed the syringe and backed away. She quickly removed the cover and injected herself with it. She knew it was something that boosted Ada a few minutes ago. She needed to take the risk and make her escape. As soon as the fluid drained into her body, she felt dizzy and the world in her eyes was being warped with different proportionalities before turning back to normal. She felt the power surging through her veins. A step to her measured a distance. Suddenly, everything went slow motion and she could see Mirage running towards her. She was surprised to see very of his move and saw Ada moving very slowly. Her reflexes simply kicked in because of an incoming attack. She quickly ran to Mirage and the two battles with exchange of blows and it was a matter of attack and receive. It was a battle of speed and wits. Mirage quickly grabbed her after one of his attack and used his current position to twist her arm in the wrong position and limit her actions. Everything went fast pace again and return to their normal speed. The battle of speed was over since Mirage had already grabbed her with one hand. She could sense the energy gathering up in Mirage's other palm. She saw a blazing flame on it and the flame was violet. It was something she never saw before. His energy was so compressed that it took a physical form. It was just designed to look like a flame. Mirage released it and it exploded between to them. Alice was blown a few meter away and rolled on the ground. Mirage protected himself with a force field that enveloped him before it exploded. The energy just actually circulated and compressed the huge amount. He put a thin layer of energy to cover it and telekinetically move it with his mind. He put a force around his body to protect him from the explosion. The heat caused the energy around it to burn up and released the huge amount that was stored in it.

Alice stood up. She had a few bruises and suddenly Mirage rushed up to her with a sword in each hand. She went through a quick trance and accessed a huge amount of her inner strength and everything went slow motion again. He could see every move of Mirage in slow motion. Mirage maximized his speed and reached the speed of her reflexes. He was the only one moving in normal speed to her eyes while everything else stood still. It seems that they were moving even faster than the speed of sound. There a few ounces left on the syringe and its purpose was to inject on Mirage. He will felt dizzy for a short amount of time and she will use this interval to gain advantage over him. She was about to stab him but Mirage made an upward slash, destroying the syringe and letting loose the last drops on it. It was followed by a stabbing motion which Alice dodged. She made a chopping attack with her hand at his arm which he used for stabbing. Much to their surprise, Alice was able to severe Mirage's arm. She grabbed the other arm and sword on the severed arm and used to stab him. The sword pierce through his chest and the end erupted at his back. Mirage felt the pain that ravaged his body and Alice pulled the sword out. The hole spat out a lot of blood. She did a quick spin and slashed the other arm, severing it from its body. She dropped her sword and gripped his neck.

Alice pulled the hood off and examined the face that looked like Caleb. "Is it really you Caleb?"

"I don't have time to talk to you." Mirage said, coughing up blood.

"I already won." Alice said with pride. Suddenly, a monstrous arm erupted out of his chest and strangled her neck. It was strong that she quickly released her grip on him. She started to gasp for air. Behind Mirage was huge demonic figure. It has a monstrous body with a muscular body that carried both of them. It was huge with dark skin. Mirage just smiled demonically. The creatures face resembled a demon's and had large crow-like wings. It had fiery glowing red eyes. It had long sharp teeth.

"You were saying?" The creature said with a terrifying voice. It seems that a thousand voices were speaking at the same time. The whole area grew dark and large stones erupted from the ground. The clouds turned into fiery red and the skies went black. There was a block moon above them with an unknown insignia on it. Mirage's body that was pierced through had blood flowing out of his eyes that were now completely black. Blood also started flowing uncontrollably out his mouth. He had an internal bleeding but the blood was like a river that kept flowing. "You do realize that this is all a…MIRAGE!"


	34. Flee

Chapter 34

Flee

Eve held the boy's arm with the compressed ball of unstable energy that kept releasing bolts of untamed power. She held it with all her might as Icarus tried to release all at once on Adam. The potential to destroy Adam was high and it could eradicate him to cellular level that it won't be able enough for him to heal. Eve tried to absorb the energy which gradually decreased it power. However, it was still unstable and was only under control by the influence of Icarus' power and therefore it shot off in his hand and released a powerful shockwave of raw energy and blasted everything away near Icarus, including Adam's body. He was still unconscious after Scarlet brutally crushed him downwards the earth. Eve was also blasted away but she managed to withhold the energy and absorbed it before it hit her. The electric pulse continuously flowed throughout her body. She was like a live container of electricity and acted more like a battery that stored most of it. She was a bit paralyzed since the pulses had sent thousands of small shockwaves throughout her nervous system. She felt numb and stood still after being blasted away. Icarus' arm was bleeding after the power burst on his hand. He glared Eve with hatred but Eve couldn't even manage to look at him. She tried gathering the electric pulses that was stored within her and deployed it to her stomach. It is said that the stomach acts as the center wherein all of our energy is stored. She thought that if she contained it with her own energy, she would be able to manipulate it on her own will. She started gathering it and she could feel and numbness went away as it charged up to her torso.

"You look distraught." Icarus said with his fearful voice.

Eve did not speak nor replied to her enemy. The source of her power now was based on the electric current which she absorbed from Icarus. She manipulated it downwards to her legs and she was able to move at lightning speed. She had already moved at Icarus' back but her enemy was clueless where she was. She charged up her palm with a good amount of current and grabbed Icarus' back of the neck where she released the current and sent it through Icarus' body since that point holds a numerous amount of nerves that controls the body. Icarus stood still and felt the shock that overpowered him. He channeled the energy downwards to the ground and grabbed Eve. However, Eve sent the current throughout her body and since Icarus' was holding her, the current flowed up to him and felt the full shock. He was stunned and paralyzed but would only last a few seconds to recover. However, to Eve, it was more than enough to knock him unconscious. She quickly gathered a good amount of electric current into her palms and struck Icarus in different pressure points to directly hit his nervous system. She combined it with quick but precise releases of electric current from her palm. The shock prolonged the duration of Icarus' paralysis. It was like consecutive earthquakes that had hit a mass of body and it could ravage the inside of it. Strike after strike, Icarus could no longer feel his body and his brain was slowing down in process. The electric current was interfering with his brain's reactions. Some of the neurons in his brain was paralyzed and could not transmit its proper agendas. Eve finalized it with a final blow to the middle of his body, which was the stomach to completely sever him from manipulating his energy. Icarus was knocked back wherein Eve released almost all the energy she stored in her. She ran up to him with her lightning speed and jumped. She twisted in the air and hit Icarus straight on the face with her leg. Eve quickly twisted her body again and continued her spin with her current momentum and grabbed Icarus' shoulders then she lay both her feet an inch before Icarus' stomach. She quickly released her grip and kicked him with both feet which sent Icarus flying towards her opposite direction. Eve landed beside Adam. Steve and Chris got out of their hiding places but Steve slowly crept towards the body of his nephew, not knowing another persona was dominating him. He felt rage that someone would trash him and aimed his gun at Eve. She, on the other hand had already turned her back against him and knelt beside Adam. She gathered the last of the electrical current she absorbed and gathered on her hand. She released a few bolts of electric pulses near her. She only needed a small amount to wake Adam with her hand acting as a defibrillator. She had to be completely precise or else it would kill Adam if it had too much amount of current. It might not be able to wake him up either if it lacked the amount needed and if worse comes worst, it might backfire and even kill him.

Eve was nervous whether she should do it or not. However, there was no choice so she laid her hand an inch before Adam's chest. There was no reaction but she could feel the energy surging out of her palm and into him. She gathered all of her courage and finally placed her palm on Adam. Using her own energy, she pushed the electric current out of her body into his and saw the reaction. Adam's body started convulsing and his eyes shot wide open and screamed in agony. Eve was shocked and frightened and let go of him. Adam kept shuddering for the next few seconds. Eve was already in a panic and tried to charge another round. She was in deep confusion and Caleb who was now awake ran up behind her and grabbed her forearms before he could do more damage to Adam's body. Steve was just simply shocked that he didn't notice Caleb's moves. All that he felt was a cold feeling pass through the air near him.

"This isn't happening!" Eve cried out for her brother. Adam was still shuddering and was having a shock. Chris saw what was happening and ran up to them with Phillip trailing behind him. Steve also ran to them too. They gathered around Adam who was having a seizure from the shock. He was having a ventricular fibrillation and Eve was the one who provoked it in a need to save his brother. She was desperate and was struggling to get out of Caleb's grasp but she didn't know what else to do. Caleb's threw her aside but she quickly stood up. He quickly hit the back of the head. She fell unconscious on the ground with a thud. Everyone was shocked as he carried her beside Adam. She will be knocked out cold by the next few minutes as they tried to figure out what they had to do with Adam. Caleb didn't know what to do either and he tried to touch his chest. His tissues were burning and his skin was hot. It was caused by Eve had done. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He used his seismic sensing and tried to get enough evidences to get up with a valid conclusion. He could feel the consecutive vibrations throughout his body, especially in the heart. His cells in that organ were moving independently and without the same rhythm. He needs a real defibrillator in order to save him.

"Does anyone here know how to do a CPR?" he coldly asked.

"I don't think a CPR will do it." Chris said.

"Why? Isn't it the procedure they do to save people?"

"It's not that simple! We NEED a real defibrillator in order to save him."

"Do you know how it works?"

"Yes! It sends electric current through the nodes of the heart in order for the heart to return to its normal rhythm. From what I can see, his heart muscles are not having a good rhythm. We need one if we can safe him. I don't know if doing a CPR can."

"Where do you place the defibrillators?"

"Lower left of the chest and upper right."

Caleb started to charge up his hands with electric current but only with a lower sequence of energy. He knelt before Adam and it was a risk if he could save him. He speculated that if he could send him a stable current that could return his heart to its normal rhythm. They don't have much time and it was running out fast. He started with low frequency-energy as much as 120 to 200 joules. He placed his palms an inch before the lower-left of his chest and his upper right. He pushed them downwards in unison and Adam just zapped upwards for a sec but he still kept convulsing. Caleb was just astonished. He charged his palms with higher sequence and tried another time. They had the same result.

"It's not working!" Caleb stammered.

"You need to counter act how much she slammed into him." Chris said, pointing at Eve who was still unconscious. "If the force that she placed is greater than the current Eve had placed then it won't be enough. If you go too high, then you will kill him. If you did too much, then he could have a heart failure from the extensive shocks."

"I see." Caleb could only say. He charged it up higher to the point that he felt from what remained in Eve's palms before she had knocked him out unconscious. He started to think of the risks but there was no choice. He can't have too much of it. He slammed to Adam's chest and he bounced upwards before falling back. Adam finally gasped for air and shot his eyes open. He grabbed his chest and felt weak. He lay back again and started panting. His head was pounding and seems that Caleb had given him a little too much. He started to look around what happened and stood up. He remembered the pain that surged through him a few moments ago.

"We have to get out of her fast."Chris warned. "If we move after dark then we'd be sitting ducks. We don't have electricity here and if we started a fire then we'd attract more of them."

"Then when will we stay?" Phillip asked.

"There is a safe shock a few kilometers here. I used to stay there before things went awful here. I had built a generator there and one will have to be awake at all times."

"I'll do it." Steve volunteered.

"We'll shift every three hours until the chopper comes by." Chris said.

Adam shook Eve until she woke up. She stared at her brother who was now okay but was in the brink of death a few moments ago. "Big Brother!" she cried and hugged him. Adam just simply gave her hug back. They both stood up and looked at their companions. "We better get going." Adam said. He could spot them going to their direction and with three of them together, it's more likely that they will survive.

They began to jog with Chris in the lead. He pulled out his pistol and strapped his rifle behind him. He started shooting them down one by one. Unfortunately, a group of them had already formed behind. Adam moved back and charged his hand with a huge amount of heat that he started was shining bright and hot. He kept compressing it up and released it. It sent a powerful shockwave, destroying the ground. As soon as it reached the horde, it blasted them away to pieces. The ground was a bloody hell with ravaged body parts found in every corner of its fissured cracks. All of them felt a powerful tremor and they knew it would attract more of them. They almost at the border and they could see that wall. Caleb moved at the back and grabbed Phillip's handgun. He started with a good gunplay and fired a hail of bullets that hit its intended on the head. Meanwhile, Eve and Adam rushed forward and cleaned their way. They grabbed their guns and simply killed them easily. They targeted the heads in order to destroy the brain and incapacitated them easily. Chris could barely keep up with their expertise. They were already in the border with Eve and Adam in front. Adam stretched his arm outwards and started gathering his energy in his palm. Eve saw this and imitated his brother and both of them were charging their cannons at the wall. It was a thick brick shit and the only way to get out of the border now is to blast it open. Steve and the others could more of them coming and Caleb who was now out of bullets was now ripping them open with a sharp telekinetic force.

He charged arms with electric shock and blasted the ground. The ground broke apart and a huge fissure appeared. There were broken pipelines everywhere and sprayed it water everywhere like a huge fountain. He then sent multiple shockwaves in order to deliver the water evenly and charged his hand again with a good electric pulse. He released it on the water where the electric pulse travelled through the water and electrocuted their dead bodies. Even though they were bodies, there were still fluids inside them that could still transport electric currents. It sent a good amount of pulse to their brains and damaged it to the point that they fell down with a cold thud. Caleb went back to the others.

"Stand back!" Adam warned. He nodded at Eve and they both released the stored up energy in their hands. A jet of red flashed from their palms and onto their target. It was a bright red light that had hit the wall which was blasted into bits. There was huge gaping hole on it and the remains at the upper wall that wasn't damaged collapsed and broke down. There was now a huge gap on it where they could pass through. More of them were coming and everyone was almost out of bullets. Chris was now conserving his ammo by just killing the ones that could be a prominent danger to the group. Adam was the first one to hop over the fallen debris and check what was outside. Unfortunately, larger groups of them were outside and had gathered up. The powerful blast had given them a huge gap to gather outside the wall but there hundreds of them that had gathered there. It was a bit hopeless even there were three experiments in the group. "Caleb! We need backup!"

Caleb fired another blast of energy onto its target and they end up being blown into pieces of body parts again. He ran to Eve and Adam who were now battling hordes of them. Phillip stayed in the middle with Steve at the back. He had the most bullets and there were only a few of them left at the back. Their numbers had diminished greatly but as soon as they got out of the gate and saw what was ahead of them, their world had turned over. Hundreds of them were being battled by the three. One of Caleb's eyes had already turned red again since he needs to provoke more of Icarus full abilities in order to fight more of them. He was exhausted and he was losing his own consciousness. It was only through Eve that he was able to dominate that guy before he could even kill Adam. Now that he thought of it, the more it provoked Icarus' presence. He was now exhausted from all the energy that got out of his own body. There were only a few of them left but it attracted more of them from all direction and Icarus was almost at the peak over his own body. He can't let him or he might go on a complete rampage that could hurt his friends. He gathered all of his strength again and tried to fight on. He could feel Adam and Eve's energy got lower than before. Everyone was exhausted and he could definitely feel it. There were still far from safe yet and they couldn't let them get near the rescue point either. He could feel Adam's capacity of his charged blast getting lower and lower. Everyone was now conserving their own energy. Adam stretched both of his arms outwards and started rotating multiple layers of energy between his open palms. It was a rapid circulation on order to form friction between the molecules. He was now using an alternative form of energy. He just need a good small amount to keep it going but the heat from the friction was just an amplified form of his own. He compressed it and made it spin faster. It was accelerating at a high rate that he the energy was now creating bolts of raw lightning and held it in one hand. He released it as soon as it ready and created a massive shockwave that caused a powerful quake in the area. The space before him vanished along with the remains of their body parts. The blast was so powerful that the damage reached up to molecular level. They were completely wiped off but still shook everyone. Eve on the other hand moved with speed and it was her way of conserving energy. She now learned how to create electric impulses from her brother and used it on her limbs like before. She was moving really fast that she can't be noticed anymore with the naked eye. She charged up the particles in her hand like a blade and kept cutting the heads of whatever she passed through. A good amount of number was killed from what Adam and Eve did. The two of them seem unstoppable now. Caleb stretched his arms outward too and telekinetically manipulated the debris with his mind. He compressed the rocks to make smaller and more solid. He then played it with his mind at random strokes and dashes as head level. There were more or less than ten pieces of them that he controlled and freely used it at his disposal. The strong impact was enough to crush their skulls from the impact and damage their brains to incapacitate them. Caleb released them all at once in a spreading manner. Dozens of them fell down in straight lines but there were still a few that still stood up and made their way nearer. He picked up more of them with his mind and started playing with them again. There were only a few of them left but if you added them by a few it could put them in danger. The three experiments were now exhausted from all the fighting especially Caleb who was in the mercy of Icarus' persona. Inside his mind was a banging door, waiting to be opened. If he let that open, he was letting the gate of death open before his friends. He can't let that happen. He still stood up and never gave up on his friends. He started making blazing fireballs and throwing them randomly at them. They started to burn and as their body drop on the ground, the other near them caught up the flames since they make their way aimlessly. This caused for their numbers to be diminished faster but there was a risk that they could get hurt too. Caleb opened a pathway for them by manipulating flames with his own mind but it was giving him headache. He was now totally exhausted as if he was out of breath. He was already panting and it seems that he was collapse any second. His eyes were now violet, a mixture of blue and red. However, blue was still dominant but he wasn't giving up just yet. He just needed a good rest so he could dominate Icarus' persona. He already fell on one of his knees and was about to collapse but Steve caught him and carried him on his back. With the last of his strength, he pushed back Icarus to the back of his mind, hoping that he won't be able to dominate him once his knocked out cold from exhaustion. Adam was already on the verge of it too. Phillip caught up behind him and placed a hand on his back to boost up his self-esteem even by a little bit. They just had to escape from what was left of their enemies.

Chris went on for the initiative and led the way. They made it already in the woods, or what was left of it after the virus had contaminated the area. The trees were already dead and they were coming up behind them. There were still a good number of them but at least they were diminished greatly unlike before. The three of them managed to kill a few hundreds of them without getting anyone hurt.

"We are almost there!" Chris announced. A few more minutes of hiking and they finally made it to the shack Chris talked about. It was fairly small but it definitely had a good space to keep all of them. There were high fences around a good to keep them out. It had barbed wires and Steve noticed the lines that ties up to the inside the house. The whole fence was a live wire. They got in quickly and closed the gates. They went inside where they could finally rest and realized that darkness just set in. It was a long fight but it was finally over.

Caleb was still wondering if they made it. Someone was shaking him like there was no tomorrow. He was just confused but he could feel the heat of the sun setting in. It was already morning and time had passed away really fast without his knowledge. He must have slept through the night. He opened his eyes to Steve shaking up. The sound of the chopper had set in and it looks like that they were here already. He quickly stood up and ran outside. The chopper had indeed come to the rescue. The smell of rotten bodies was outside. Most of them were burnt and dead. Phillip and Eve had already it at the chopper and Adam was halfway through the rope ladder. He started to climb up but he heard Steve shout in pain. He looked at him and saw a huge tentacle thing that pierced through his chest. He coughed up blood grunted more. He found the other end coming to a sleeve.

"Scarlet!" he gasped.


	35. Errands

Chapter 35

Errands

Aiden woke up on his bed and looked around. Jordan was still soundly sleeping beside him. He was supposed to be sleeping with Angie but since he and Jordan arrived later than expected, he would be sleeping with him and Angie was with Thomas and Ashley in the other room. He remembered yesterday which still bothered him. Claire told Jill and Carlos some bad news and he wasn't able to hear it. Claire never said a word about it and would just let the adults handle those kinds of stuff. It was still dawn since he hadn't noticed any rays of light from anywhere. He just stood up and went in front of one of the closets and opened it. It was filled of the old clothes and stuffs of the previous owner of the house. He saw a green jacket and pulled it out of the closet. It was just about his size surprisingly so he put it on and walked out of the room. He went to the front door and unlocked it.

"Where are you going?" Jill said who was just right behind him. He jumped up from fright and looked at her. His heart was pounding and was uneasy.

"God Jill, you scared the crap out of me!" he said. His heart was still pounding in his chest and sighed. "I'm just going outside. Something is bugging me lately and I just want to get some fresh morning air. What's the time anyway?"

"It's just pass three." Aiden saw Jill reached for something at his back. She took out a pistol and handed it to Aiden. "And don't forget to bring this!"

"Thanks!" Aiden said with a smile. Jill kind of understood of what he was feeling right now. It was the sense of guilt that keeps ringing in everyone's head. Killing the body of you own kin is something disturbing indeed. Also, he witnessed how Caleb's murdered the body of his parents. He simply needed sometime to be alone. Aiden opened the door and sat on the balcony where he could turn and look at the rows of houses where the others were. There was an opened light in one of the rooms of Amber's house. He jumped down the balcony and decided to eavesdrop if there is someone awake there. He slowly walked in the darkness and couldn't see any movements. There were only a few selected streetlights that showed him the way. Other than that and there was the darkness. It was dawn and the sun isn't coming out soon. He got nearer and nearer the house and rested under one of the windows. So far, he was still alone and there wasn't something he could other than himself. He slowly crept upwards and put his ear on the window. He could hear some muffled voices inside. The voice was moaning and he was just stunned what it really was. It was just a familiar tone but the moan could still be heard. He was now enthralled by the sound. He slowly put his hand around the handle of his handgun, drew it slowly and brought it out. All that he could think of was there was one of them already inside. The moan went on and the more he listened to it the more he recognized the voice. He was now sure it was Chance' and the moans were more like from pleasure. He just thought what his friend could be doing on the other side. He tried to peek inside the window but he couldn't see anything. There was no light inside and it was well barricaded too so he couldn't see much either. He tried pushing the window open but it won't budge. He tried exerting more force but it still was no use. The moaning stopped for the moment which brought him to a more alert situation. He tried reaching for the window again but it opened. He was shocked and fell back. However, he did made an aim to whoever opened it. Aiden saw Chance with a gun at the ready. They just aimed at each other until Chance brought his gun down and jumped out of the window. It was just on the first floor so it really didn't hurt. He grabbed Aiden's hand and pulled him upwards.

"Thanks." Aiden simply said.

"Come inside." Chance said. Both of them got through the window. Aiden sat on the bed as Chance removed his shirt. Aiden was just petrified to see Chance massive perspiration. His whole back was sweating hard. He wiped his back and sweat with his shirt and threw it by the feet of the bed. He then sat beside Aiden who noticed something behind his back. Aiden moved back a bit to notice something far more frightening. His heart jumped from the sight he just saw. There were scars from his back. He could recognize them as whip marks. And then there was a tattoo he was too familiar with. There was a mark of Umbrella under his right should plate. He could see that it was marked by engraving it with a metal piece.

"Do you know why my name is Chance?" he began. Aiden just sat up straight again and listen to what he wanted to say. "It was simply because this is my second chance to live how a kid should be."

"Should be?"

"I was an agent of Umbrella, until I went missing and went freelance. It was my second chance to live better. Amber knew and took me in and regain what was left of my innocence and it was something I could hopefully find."

"That's the reason you-"

"Know how to fight." Chance said, cutting Aiden off and finishing his sentence. "What would you expect? I am also a murderer and killed a lot of people. My life was hell and I was saved. I'm fighting them off right now."

"You shouldn't be. None of us children should!" Aiden shot back.

"It's no use. I was trained to kill. I even enjoyed it sometimes and that's the fact. I want to be useful too now that hell took over. My past was hell but I try to move on. You don't know how many comrades had to die before me!"

"I…should understand you, as a friend." Aiden calmly said. He put his arm around Chance shoulder and pulled him closer a bit. Chance just sat there beside him emotionlessly as he remembered all that had happened. Aiden rubbed his back and spoke. "You are right. It will be better if we have some use and don't be burdens to our new family. There is no point in what I am saying. You should use this second chance. However, I realized something, I don't think Chance is you real name. What is it then?"

"Maybe later on I will tell you."

"Oh yeah, what did I hear before you knew I was outside? Something was definitely wrong. And look, you are sweating hard."

"You were eavesdropping?" Chance exclaimed. Aiden just grinned and tried to laugh it off. "I had a nightmare."

"You call that a nightmare? You were moaning and all that." Aiden replied. He wants to know what was really happening.

"You don't even know how hell felt!" Chance shot back. "It was too horrifying to a child that it was engraved to my soul! It was _that_ painful!"

"Fine! Fine!" Aiden innocently said. "I'm sorry!" Aiden just lay back on the bed flat on his back. He just sighed loudly and stared at the ceiling. The house was a bit small and cramped but there was no choice and it's a fact. Aiden closed his eyes, and since it was still hours before the sun rises, he fell asleep.

Alice woke up and tried to regain more of senses. She was sitting and her hands were both tied at her back. She can't remember anything at all after seeing that delirious creature behind Mirage. She was taking it to be real but it really seemed too real for her. A few more thoughts and she was convinced that it was just all an illusion. She scanned her surroundings and could tell she was inside a small shack. However, she doesn't know where that place could have been. She darted her eyes from left to right and try to find something more useful-or at least a clue to tell her more of her situation. It was pretty much dire, but she still had hope as long as she's alive. She calmed down for a while a tried to hear out things that could prove their worth. There weren't any sounds at all except for the stray wind that had just passed by.

She tried pushing herself upwards from the wall behind her, until she was able to stand and look around. There was a small window near her and she slowly walked near it, trying to keep quiet and not to catch attention of anything she might encounter. She peeked outside and saw a motorbike and Ada standing outside. It was already sunrise and it seems she was waiting for something. She mustered all of her strength and broke the ropes on her wrists. She examined it and there was no wound except for the throbbing pain. It halted the blood flow and she felt the numbness kicked in as it rushed for its usual flow. She rubbed it a bit and waited for a few minutes for the numbness to disappear.

As soon as everything is fine, she tried to get another view of outside. Ada was still standing by the bike and scanned if she had Mirage with her. Fortunately, he wasn't there and his absence of his cold presence had told her that. She slowly crept for the door and turned the knob. She slowly pushed it and sneaked towards Ada. She reached out and tried to grab her but she knew and turned around. She quickly drew her gun and aimed for her but she slithered her arms and pushed her hand aside. She grabbed it and threw her on the ground and dashed up to her. Ada quickly made a counter attack with a powerless sweep. Alice saw the incoming attack and moved away a feint, Ada had already had a quick strike under her and drove her to the ground senseless. Alice looked back again and kicked her but Ada backed away. Alice quickly jumped to her feet, and charged towards her opponent. Ada made a chopping hand and made a stabbing motion. Alice pushed it away and threw herself at her. Ada was knocked backwards stunned. Alice followed it up by a chop in her leg which she thought was a feint and Ada was plunged into the air. Before, she dropped on the ground, Alice grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her away from the spot. She quickly grabbed the gun on her hand and ran for the bike. She used her mental abilities to make the bike roar to life. She stepped on it and made for her escape.

The sun was high but it was nowhere from noon. Jill and the others had gathered up with Amber. There were only a few people going since they would be using a small convoy. There were two trucks for supplies to be filled with. Amber, Jill and the two kids Aiden and Chance for the first time then Robert and two others. Everyone had already prepared before they met up, hoping everything will go as they had planned. In a few minutes, they were on the go and the trucks left. The road was rough, weeks had already passed and drought had come, making large cracks on the road. Everything was like the dessert and it was the effect of the virus. Jill and Amber were on the front. Aiden and Chance were at the back of the truck. Both boys were chatting and everyone in the team was armed.

"Where do you think we're can get some supplies?" Aiden asked curiously.

"I don't know, I rarely go out like this. I've heard the goods had already hit low this week so we might be going somewhere farther."

"What about the others?"

"Nonsense! There are more back at the place. I think that their asses would be up and running for most days now that they've spotted the virus nearby. I don't think they'll be slacking off yet."

Aiden just nodded in agreement. It really was a long trip and the minutes dragged on for like hours. They're under the sun and everything is hot now. Everyone would be perspiring with sweat and would stink from them. Aiden looked at his arm which was now beginning to tan.

"I think I'll be all brown by next year."

"Don't count on it."

"Why?"

"You're not even sure if you will be able to make it." He said tightly. Aiden gulped down as if he was sitting before an executioner of the dead that is. "You're lucky to be alive but don't count in it."

"I know."

The hours dragged on it and it was noon. It was sizzling hot and both boys were feeling lightheaded already from all the heat. Amber opened the window between them and threw an ice cold jug full of water.

"I forgot to give you that." She said with a grin. She threw a pair of umbrellas. "That too!"

"You should have given us that earlier!" Chance barked. He was frowning. Aiden just thought that the heat is getting to his nerves.

"I blame Jill!" she said, laughing it off.

"WHAT?" Jill shrieked. Amber shut the window and the boys could hear their nonsense exchange of argue.

There were more trees in view now and the place is not much deserted either. It was bit cooler now as they came to experience some fresh air breeze. Much to their surprise, they could see a few people. Their vehicle was the second so there wasn't any vehicle after them to block the view. Aiden was just shocked as the others. They weren't normal people, they were already one of them. They hovered the umbrellas above them to protect them from the intense heat of the sun. Chance looked at his design and saw the umbrella looked like the Umbrella Corp's logo.

"How ironic!" he snorted.

The vehicles rounded up near a store and parked it in front. There were no people alive so far and only dead walked from place to place. They quickly drew their guns and so did the boys. Everyone had their guns equipped with suppressors so they won't get much attention from them. Aiden took aim then shot. Shot after shot more bodies dropped on the ground with a damaged brain. Aiden quickly rushed behind to one of them and reached for its neck. He twisted it a bit to the left and quickly snapped it to the right. The body dropped dead to the ground without even a flinch. Everyone moved back and forth. It seems that the virus just had struck the place for more or less than a day. There were still electricity and they sworn they could have heard some gunshots from afar. They quickly dismissed it and thought that the people back would be more important for now. Everyone had cleared the store from them and moved on outside in case one got on undetected. It could have caused havoc if that one gut lucky. Everyone move swiftly and kept darting from left to right. The trucks were filled with supplies for them to last a few more weeks. Everything was so smooth until hell broke loose.

They heard a few snickers when Jill yelled but not loud enough to get attention from them. Everyone gathered in front of the store. A man held a shotgun to the back of Robert's head with a sly grin. Everyone was shocked. He must have snuck up to get a victim as big as Robert. Everyone noticed the blood seeping out of his shoulder. He was obviously infected with the virus. He was laughing insanely and darted his eyes from left to right, glancing at the situation and havoc he caused.

"He's obviously cuckoo!" Chance muttered.

Jill aimed at him. "Do you want to lose him?" the man barked and laughed insanely again.

"Should I take him out?" Chance whispered coldly.

"Do you really think you can save him when his life is just a pull of a finger away?"

Everyone was nervous. It was a hostage scene. Robert had both of his hands up and his gun was dropped to the ground. It was a surprise that he was the calmest. He was just waiting there and looking for a weakness. The situation had already let some of them walked in the assigned perimeter around the store. Robert noticed that the man was going wobbly. The virus might have been getting to him now. He should be put out of his misery quick. He threw up beside Robert. There was a pool of crap and blood by his feet. He had kept a wobbly balance but the gun was still aimed at him, not at the face but having a shotgun aimed this close anywhere would be fatal. Robert used this chance to grab the man but the adrenaline rush was there. He pushed Robert backwards and made a lousy aim then squeezed the trigger.

Everyone was shocked and Robert was thrown a few feet backwards and landed hard on his back. He was a bloody mess. He was shot squarely on the middle of his body and bits of guts were scattered everywhere. His lungs were definitely damaged and he was still alive after all that. Amber screams on the top of her lungs for her brother and both boys were terrified from the man's action. The other two companions Conner and Jasper were also still as hell. Jill had already made a move before the man could gauge up another shell in place and damage another person. She shifted herself backwards and quickly made an aim and pulled the trigger with haste. The man dropped dead on the floor. Everyone huddled up except for Connor who ran and started the engines. It roared to life and got out and did the same to the other. All eyes were upon Robert with Amber beside him.

"Go…on without…me!" he said, coughing up blood every time he pause. It sent shivers to everyone.

"But-" Amber tried to speak.

"No buts…listen…to your…brother!"

"We could give you a proper burial!" she sniffed, admitting that her brother won't make it.

"There…is no…time." He coughed up more blood and he was panting harder and he was still struggling. Amber was about to embrace him but Jill pulled her away quickly. Aiden and Chance stood up and start shooting the ones nearing them. Aiden quickly put his gun on its holster and Chance did the same. The drove them far with their own bodies and testing out their skills. It will be better not to get it rusty. The two vehicles left as soon as possible before more of them gathered up. Robert twisted himself and crawled for his gun. HE tried to grab it and as painful as it is, he held tight to it. More of them closed in on him. He shot them off as the marksman he is. However, there more of them and the loud bang of the shotgun made had caused it. He was damned. He brought up his gun to his head and squeezed the trigger. However, no bullet came out and just let out a small nudge. More of them closed in on him with hunger in their ghoulish appearances.

He smiled and threw himself back and thought of the others he would be leaving soon.

"Fuck…"


	36. Destruction

Chapter 36

Destruction

Caleb froze. He eyes fixed upon the horror before him. Steve gasped for more air but the damage was indeed too great. He tried grabbing his pistol from its holster. However, Scarlet proved to be too fast and was already behind him. She pulled out the tentacle from where she struck him. He flinched in pain as the blood oozes out of the hole. He was about to drop on his knees but Scarlet had already grabbed him by his neck. Caleb was still frozen from shock but the numbness started to go away. He tensed up his muscles and moved fast but Scarlet saw through him. She kicked him away but he was able to stand up without breaking a sweat. He tried to dash for another attack but he became wary of the situation. Scarlet's hand gripped Steve's neck tight, very tight. He was choking and gasping for air. Caleb was weighing the possibilities. The chances are slim but he had to gamble for it. He wasn't too sure of himself either. A single mistake could end his uncle's life. Scarlet cocked Steve head a bit, and in a single snap, he broke it. The snapped echoed through Caleb's ears. Steve face was shock but he was already part of this realm no more. Caleb's grogginess from his sleep was completely gone now. Rage enveloped him more and blinded him. He made a dash for it whipped and lashed blindly at his opponent, dropping Steve on the ground. A mid length sword slid down her sleeve and was about to stab Caleb. He was blind and went on a blind rampage. He was as near as getting himself stabbed but someone caught him behind. It was Eve. She grabbed him and sent him a shock through their attachment. It woke him up. Adam sent a electric pulse from above as he dropped down. It caused a minor explosion as Scarlet dodged backwards.

The two siblings dropped down from the copter. Only three of them alive were left down. Adam just dropped a few meters between the two. Eve released Caleb. It was a three-on-one fight. It was fair. Scarlet was far more powerful. Caleb could the energy building up on both of his companion's legs. He understood it now and tried to imitate them. Adam and Eve vanished. Scarlet held her arm at her face and the other lower just in time as Adam and Eve appeared to punch her. She was able to block it. She then grabbed their hands and pulled them towards each other. Eve was pulled at head level while Adam below. She spun in between and slid down her pair of daggers. She spun horizontally, lashing out her weapons blindly. However, the two had already moved from afar. She dropped down but Caleb was behind her and delivered a chop at head level. Scarlet ducked but Caleb had mashed his energy in his palm and opened it. He dashed back and released it with Scarlet in range. She didn't make it out and was thrown a few feet back. She sat up like a zombie would and stood up again, analyzing there every move.

The battle had just begun and the chopper still hovered above them. Carlos and Chris were watching. Claire eventually peeked but she was busy with the status of the chopper, making sure they don't hurl down. Everyone tensed at the battle below. Adam tried contacting Chris with his mental ability. He told him first to fire a bullet if he could hear him. As soon as he heard the gunshot he spilled it out.

_Go ahead. We'll catch up_. He said mentally. He knew Chris wasn't sure leaving children behind but he knew what he had to do. _As soon as you heard three consecutive gunshots, it means it's clear and come and get us. Kill the engine to make sure she doesn't hear it. As soon as you hear it, turn the engine on and lunge into the air. That could give us your position. We'll run to you as fast as we can without delay._

Chris explained it to Claire and the chopper moved on, leaving the three of them behind for Scarlet. Caleb looked at the chopper as it leaves. He thought it would be best if they stayed out of it.

Scarlet stood there motionless. Steve was too but he was dead. The shock on his face gave Caleb a light tremble. The three of them charged their feet and braced themselves for a battle of speed. Everyone vanished from moving too fast. In the midst of the fast pace battle, they exchanged their blows. Adam moved keenly and surely. He doesn't want to make a mistake and the fight was a fight for their lives. No one dared a mistake. Thundering sounds emitted from here and there from the strength of their blows. Scarlet blocked more than they did since there were three of them. Scarlet was on the defensive. She studied them carefully, looking for flaws. Caleb delivered a quick jab but Scarlet blocked it and saw a flaw. She grabbed him and threw him off distance. She knew they were too close for her to make a move. A strategy that would keep them far from each other would be needed. Throwing Caleb off distance was the first. She only needed to fight a foe and weaken it one at a time even if the battle would only last for a split second. She grabbed Adam off guard threw him towards Caleb as he stood up. They clashed with each other and threw them farther from her grasp. There was only one left. She had a large space to consume now. She was able to evade more lightly from Eve's blow until she was able to find an opening. She reached for Eve's throat but the little girl knew it would be best to back down and wait for the other two. She threw herself back to evade her. However, Scarlet arm grew to inhuman length and her arms mutated. It grew longer with more distinct muscles. Her fingers grew long and thin and so did her nails. It was like a tyrant's arm. She grabbed her neck and grimaced. Her arm was longer than normal. If she lit drop she could touch the ground even when standing still and upward. It was that long to reach Eve. The mutation was that fast too. Caleb ran for his ally but Scarlet whipped him with her long arm. She shook Eve like a ragged doll on her grasp. She then slammed the girl to the ground. Eve shrieked in pain. The ground was hard but Scarlet pressed on. Adam was able to get nearer but Scarlet released Eve. She lashed her next victim wildly and clawed Adam to the ground. The mutation wore off and it went back to its original size. She seized Adam and was about to puncture him with her other arm. Caleb came just in time. He charged his hand with an electric current. His had glowed brightly than before. He designed it that way to blind Scarlet. He then chopped her arm, releasing Adam.

Scarlet shrieked in pain and howled some more. One of her arm had been severed from her body. Caleb dragged Adam away to safety. Adam stood up and looked at the bloody mess he was. Scarlet clawed him a few times and wounded him but not deeply. His jacket had been ripped off and decided to remove it. The two of them rushed to Eve's side. She stood up and the three of them gazed at Scarlet. She focused upon her arm and a new one erupted from its hole. It was disgusting but she was able to do it. He growled at the three of them. She tensed up her legs and appeared before them. Adam was prepared and gathered up a good amount of energy to set it ablaze. He directed it at Scarlet and released it. There was a fiery explosion that threw Eve and Caleb a few feet. He did the same with his other and released it again. He was about to make a third when a long mutated arm grabbed for his neck. He quickly slammed his flamed on the arm and exploded wildly. He was thrown a few feet back. He landed hard but Eve had his back. Caleb went into action and threw his flame at the monster. His flame had a more powerful explosion. It sent huge debris all over the place. He did it again and made another explosion. Eve stretched her arm towards the flames and a blue light seer out of her palm. The explosion of it was more powerful than all of the explosions made so far combined.

Everyone was gasping for breath. They were tired and exhausted. It was the last of their fill. However, a huge shadow appeared out of the flames. She was able to make it. She was still on flames. Her whole was. She walked slowly towards them. Eve screamed and another blue light blasted. It hit Scarlet full force and there was another powerful explosion.

It seems that she was thrown back. She started walking from the flames again. Her body was already burnt but she was still standing. She had her complete mutation. She was made out from the tyrant series after all. She was about 7 feet tall now. She had long sharp claws and had more muscle mass. The only difference of her to her fellow tyrants is her female figure. The fires on her skin slowly die out. Blood was pretty much her skin now or it is the one that covers of her skin's remains. She stopped a few feet before them. The three was already worn out, thinking that it might kill her. Caleb stood up but he wasn't going unprotected. He raised his arm with an immense energy gathered in it. He released the blast and shot a fiery red light. However, the blast had recoiled like a gun. He was aiming for the chest but the blast hit her left shoulder. Flames weren't able to tear her body apart but his blast did. Her shoulder exploded to bits. Her left arm was amputated from its body and dropped like a dead log. She howled in pain and grabbed her shoulder. It took a massive chunk out of her body. There was blood everywhere and it was still dripping. Caleb fell back and gasped for air. He vision was fading away. The final blast took out most of his energy and more had seeped away. He looked at his hand and he could feel the energy sapping away from him. His hand was a like a leak and his own energy was fading away at an alarming rate. He must have released it the wrong way as he fell down. The two rushed to his side to check him out. His vision was already fading but he could see Scarlet fell on her knees. Blood was still pumping out. She stood up and charged at her enemies. Adam and Eve quickly stood up. Caleb suddenly felt a powerful presence with them. It was not Adam or Eve. The other two felt it also. A man in a dark cloak arrived. He had a mask on his face. He was sure the stranger was looking at him. He could also feel the immense power he holds. He was holding a silver briefcase. He knelt beside him but his allies were wary and attacked him. He easily evaded it and stuck needles on their necks. The two couldn't make a move anymore. Scarlet knelt before him like he was her master. A hundred thoughts raced to his mind who this man could be. The stranger took out a syringe and injected it with him. He could feel power surging through his veins like adrenaline. He absorbed it all like a human sponge. He feels like he was going to break apart in mere seconds. He did the same to the other two and pulled out the needles. They rub their necks and fell on the floor. Caleb could the sudden rise of tension in the air.

"Who are you?" Caleb approached.

The man kept silent. He then took out another syringe and injected it to Scarlet this time. It had a different color. Caleb trembled as Scarlet energy rose.

"What the hell are you doing?" Adam snapped. He man kept silent. He pulled the syringe out and he vanished without a trace. Scarlet trembled like they did. The huge gaping hole in her shoulder began to further mutate. A huge eye erupted out of it and the Scarlet lost her mind. She turned to a mindless creature and the three of them knew that. She began a very fast but painful mutation. She roared and howled after seconds. She-_it_- slammed its arms on the ground and pounded it mercilessly. The three of them became wary now. Eve held both of her arms and fired blue lights simultaneously. Powerful explosions emerged and the huge creature was thrown back away. Caleb felt Eve's energy didn't even lessen a bit. The energy that was lost was quickly restored.

The creature stood again with its huge eyes staring at its enemies. Its left arm emerged from another mutation and another arm under it. It had three arms now. The two were immensely lager than the other one. Its head was merely like a mutated skull and its muscle mass was largely added. It was ferocious beast now and it could think no more. It was savage and charged at its enemies. The two huge arms had massive talons and tried to claw Adam. He vanished in an instant and appeared behind it. His hands were stretch and an electric current gathered up in his palms. He released it without a second thought. It hit the back of the creature that was thrown forward. It opened a huge wound but mutation kicked it and knitted everything in place. It stood up and faced him but Caleb appeared before it. He released another fiery flame that threw the creature backwards. His energy was seemingly endless but its mutation won't stop either. The creature who was Scarlet stood before them again. It grunted in pain as its injury mutated away. It was incredibly fast. Every tissue was worked up and cells split in a frightening rate. Another arm erupted under the other one. It had four arms now. More mutation occurred and it had four arms with enormous muscles. It howled as its eye stared upon their positions. Adam stretched his arm around it and a powerful electric current was released.

Echo-one stared in amazement, and probably, fear too. He was frozen in fright. He though the fight was over. But no, it's impossible. He can't believe it. It took him another sec to snap out of it. Another arm erupted out of the debris, then another. No one had a weapon to fight with, except for their handguns. He was the first one who drew his. He aimed and fired but it didn't stop their enemy. The gun shot echoed through the underground area they were in and pulled out theirs also. Echo-three made a run for it. He looked left and right to find a probably exit. There was a ladder that goes up to the upper levels. The underground base had already crumbled down after the explosion. The ladder was their only chance. He yelled for his companions and raced up the ladder. Echo-one was still firing. The huge creature finally stood up with its menacing size. Echo-one grabbed his Swiss knife by its holster and threw it at the enormous eye by its shoulder. The knife hit the very center of it. It shrieked and grunted in pain as it hacked its arms blindly. The three of his allies were running for their one and only exit at the far end of the area. The place was really big and everything seemed so fragile. One wrong move could bring the whole ground, or what was left of it, down. And if it comes to that point, it's hard to think they'll make it. He grunted in pain as the ribs moved awkwardly at his side.

He was in a bad shaped but so is his companions. He thought about how Neo foolishly ordered this mission. It was surely suicide. However, he just realized how vital this suicide mission is. The lab had contained the G-virus, and if it got out, it was surely horror. It uses its victims on order for the virus to spread. It's not like the T-virus that spreads easily. However, killing a G-virus carrier will be hard and tons of them are more likely to cause hell on Earth.

Echo-three was the first one to arrive at the foot of the ladder. It extends upwards and it's too dark to see. He's too unsure now whether he should climb or not. He grabbed the leg but his side hurt a bit. He winced in pain and looked at the damage. He was bleeding. He didn't notice it before. Now he did. There was blood under his right arm. He could feel the pain. He realized that some of blood didn't flow that's why it numbed a bit. Now that he's conscious and moving, it flowed freely again. He dropped on one knee from the pain. Echo-two and Echo-five caught with him with guns drawn. They were firing at the creature that was hot on track of Echo-one. He was still moving at the best as he could. Echo-three disregarded the pain and climbed upwards as fast he could. Echo-two followed behind him. Echo-five spotted a weapon a few meters away. There was a trunk full of firearms under the rock beside it. He moved it with ease and looked at the damage. Well, everything was destroyed except for a sniper rifle and a submachine-gun under some of the scraps. A good amount of magazines were scattered too and he grabbed it all. He called for Echo-two who dropped down. He grabbed the sniper rifle with its ammo and climbed up again. Echo-five raced toward the creature and opened fire. It was a good distraction to start with. It halted the creature in its movements. Unfortunately, it jumped upwards and landed near him. He stopped dead in his firing. With a quick whip, one of the arms grabbed and hurled him to the wall. He slammed hard. He grunted in pain. The gun flew towards Echo-one who grabbed it. He cocked the gun and started firing to draw its attention. It moved really fast towards him. A long tail erupted out of its lower back now. It had four huge arms with a long tail. A large eye resided by its shoulder. It had a monstrous size and massive mass. It raised one of its arms and was about to pound him when it shrieked in pain with the eye bleeding. Echo-two strapped himself on the high area of the ladder. Echo-three was nowhere to be seen. He could have climbed to the uppermost part.

Echo-two pulled the trigger again. Another bullet silently stunned the giant. It dropped on one knee before its body gave on itself. It had hit a vital point and mutation is on the way to save its ass again.

"Quick!" Echo-two yelled, his voice echoing the dark walls. "Before it's too late, I'm on limited ammo!"

Echo-one rushed to Echo-five. He put his arm over shoulder and crept towards the ladder. The giant moved again and roared. It started running towards their position. Another bullet silently hit it. It hurled down on itself. It was another headshot. It could slow it down and made their escape much safer. They were almost at the ladder when the beast had undergone another mutation. Its arms grew longer at had bigger muscles now. Its lower limbs had grown longer and lighter. Its tail was now thicker. The tail hit the ground hard and it jumped _very_ high into the air. It was quickly done. Echo-two could barely keep up with his shots. More firing came and they were finally at the foot of the ladder. With a swift stroke, Echo-five was impaled with the creature's talon. Echo-one had already made a move. Since he was nearer, he could get a better shot. He aimed for the eye and fired. It was the most vulnerable body part. It howled in pain and hurled Echo-five to the ground. It pounded him repeatedly, making crunching noises. He was surely as good as dead. Echo-one was half way through Echo-two's position now. The giant clawed Echo-five's body until his guts were scattered everywhere on the ground. The monster jumped high and buried two of its arm on the wall to hang on its surface. Echo-one was under him. He tried kicking it but it wasn't enough. Echo-two supported him y nailing another shot on the head. It only shook it a bit. Apparently, its body adapted and made the head much stronger. It was a wrong decision and it just impaled Echo-one through his chest. He coughed up blood and groaned in pain. He couldn't breathe air properly anymore and he was losing his consciousness, fast. It was a quick kill. It did it again with its other free arm and impaled his chest again. It pulled him apart until his body was ripped apart. He body was no more than a rag doll. The monster shrieked in victory as it raced upwards.

"FUCK!" Echo-two yelled. Two of his companions were now dead. One was still missing in action. He laid a nice shot on its large eye. It staggered a bit but continuously crawled towards him. He released his safety belt and climbed faster. However, it was about to hit him when it stopped because of consecutive gunshots from above. Echo-three was back.

"There is a way out above!" he said in glee. However, seeing Echo-one and five's guts way down below, fear and hopelessness had struck him. "There's a gas leakage up there. If we can fire it up, we can bring the whole place down with that freak with us."

Echo-two agree however the enemy was already near him. With a quick swipe of its huge arm he fell down. However, he hooked his safety belt on the ladder. The momentum pulled his chest apart from being close to the strap. He broke a few ribs and his left shoulder along with it. He almost lost consciousness. He still had his rifle. He made an aim and fire for distraction. Echo-three acknowledged this and start firing up above where the gas leak was. A powerful explosion was what they needed. He started firing it consecutively. However, no luck, it didn't make the spark. He dropped his gun and the enemy was upon him already. Echo-two fired his last bullet too, hitting the gas tank and made an explosion. A series of it followed afterwards. Huge chunk of rocks started to fall from the crumbling ceiling. A huge one hits the enemy and fell down along with Echo-two. The ceiling fell apart and burning rocks fell upon them. A huge explosion followed afterwards and the whole ceiling finally gave apart, destroying everything down there to the _cellular_ level.


End file.
